


Fall into the Sun

by OnlyFoxMulder



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, MSR, Mulder and Scully are married and I’ll die on that hill, POV Fox Mulder, Post-Episode: s11e10 My Struggle IV, Post-Season/Series 11, Pregnancy, Season/Series 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:42:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28604670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyFoxMulder/pseuds/OnlyFoxMulder
Summary: What would happen if Bill Scully came to visit our favorite duo AFTER the events of season 11?
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 12
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am, back at it again with S11 fanfiction. I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Middle-aged Mulder and Scully make me so damn happy, I just can’t seem to stop writing stories about this time in their lives. Miracle baby number two makes me happy, too. Especially a little girl. I mean, come on! Mulder raising a baby girl? Too cute for words.
> 
> The title comes from the song Adored by Hatchie. Since I’m horrible with titles, I tend to let music inspire me. If you like dreamy, breezy pop music, Hatchie is wonderful. I usually judge a song by musical content rather than the lyrics and Adored makes me feel so free and happy. That’s what I wanted to convey with this story. No true angst here, even though I love angst.
> 
> As usual, I took a few liberties with the S11 timeline because it was a clusterfuck anyway. I hope you enjoy!

Fox Mulder knew something was up when he opened the front door, both hands full of groceries, to find a scantily clad Dana Scully perched on the arm of their sofa. An afternoon bout of lovemaking wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for them, especially with all their free time, but something about the sly grin she was sporting made him nervous.

The silky lavender robe she saved for special occasions hung over her shoulders, the ribbon used to cinch the material closed dangled past her knees. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and the delicate mesh trim barely covered her naked breasts. Her dusky pink nipples played peekaboo between the lace, calling for his attention. If he weren’t so surprised, he would have dropped the bags and zeroed in on her chest.

She stood then, uncovering another couple inches of torso and revealing the top of her newly rounded belly to his wandering eyes. At six months, her pregnancy was becoming more and more apparent, much to his delight. Two months ago, her small and inconspicuous belly could have easily been attributed to midlife weight gain, a common side effect of the aging process. But now, she filled out almost every article of clothing in her wardrobe, to her dismay. 

“Earth to Mulder,” she called to him softly. When his vision focused and the buzzing in his ears cleared, he finally dropped the bags. The clanking sound of glass made him wince. If any of the jars broke, he’d be on a trip right back to the store. “You were gone an awfully long time, I missed you.”

Missed him enough to greet him at the door, in one of his favorite pieces of clothing she owns? Missed him enough to forego a bra and taunt him with her perfect porcelain skin? Nope. Something doesn’t compute here. She only wore the purple robe when she wanted to distract him.

“Did something happen, Scully?” 

Her smile faded. “What makes you say that?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, because you know I’m putty in your hands when you wear lavender and lace,” he started, fingering a strand of hair that fell from behind her ear. “But I happen to know you only wear this particular robe when you’re trying to divert my attention away from something.”

She contemplated his words, evident by her tongue gliding across her lower lip and crinkle between her brow. He was not prepared for what she was going to reveal. “Don’t freak out on me, okay?”

He nodded without thought, but he couldn’t promise anything.

“Bill called today.”

In order to slow his rapidly beating heart, he opted for a joke. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me he finally managed to convince you to ditch old spooky to find some handsome doctor.”

“It’s a little late for that, don’t ya think?” she quipped, catching his hand and resting it on her belly. The baby kicked three times in quick succession before calming once again. “Anyway, he got to talking about the pictures he found when clearing out a storage unit and wanting to reconnect with his family. Long story short, he and Tara want to come for a visit.”

“When?”

“Their plane lands tomorrow at noon.”

His hand dropped from her stomach, albeit reluctantly, and scrubbed his face. He really needed a shave. “So he’s planning to ambush me?”

Another laugh, followed by an exasperated sigh. “He’s not going to  _ ambush  _ you. Get a grip, Mulder. I think he wants to bury the hatchet.”

“Yeah, he wants to bury it right in my head,” he whispered, then gestured between their bodies with his free hand and hoped she caught his drift. His mind was running a mile a minute. “Have you told him about…  _ this? _ ”

“He knows we’re back together but doesn’t know about the baby.”

A crack of thunder sounded in the distance and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was some kind of sign warning him to take cover from the wrath of Bill Scully. How pathetic. He could face off against a myriad of monsters and criminals with guns, but the mere thought of her big brother nearly brought him to his knees. 

“Christ, he’s going to murder me,” he blurted out, pacing back in forth in a small circle. Nervous energy; at least that’s what his mother called it. “I got his little sister pregnant again and he’s actually going to kill me.”

Her eyes rolled and he stopped himself commenting on her childish habit. Fifty-four years old and she was still rolling her eyes like a rebellious teenager. No doubt  _ he  _ had a little something to do with it; he wasn’t an easy man to live or work with and she’d been by his side for almost a quarter of her life. It’s no wonder she often suffered from tension headaches. 

“You’re a smart man, Mulder. Stop and think for a second: Do you really think he’d hurt the father of my children? He’s an asshole, but he’s not evil.” She scratched his stubble lightly as a wordless plea for him to relax. It worked to center him and bring him back so his sole focus was on Scully. “We’ve tackled greater challenges, haven’t we? It’s only one day and I won’t let him taunt you.”

At the thought of his five foot tall, obviously pregnant partner defending his honor, he tipped his head back and laughed out loud. It shouldn’t have struck him as funny when she was the only person to ever fight in his corner and a little extra weight wouldn’t change that fact. 

This knowledge wasn’t enough to quell his fear. Scully already had a tough pregnancy with uncontrollable spells of nausea, dizziness and exhaustion. Her doctor warned against needless stress and cautioned her about monitoring her blood pressure.

Even he was roped into a few of her new traditions, including short meditation sessions in the morning and before bed. The research done into the positive impacts of meditation weren’t lost on him, but his brain refused to completely shut down. Using a yoga mat on the floor, she sat between his spread legs and leaned back against his chest. Their synchronized, methodical breathing and his gentle strokes along the slope of her stomach would eventually send her into a hypnotic daze, while he mulled over the secrets of the universe. Weeks had gone by and during each session he’d feel her palm glide over his thigh to still his restless limbs. 

Regardless, it was helping Scully. How could he deny her anything? 

“Unnecessary stress isn’t healthy for you or the baby,” he stated the obvious. “I don’t want to bring the darkness into our home again. Neither of us need the negative energy.”

Their living area darkened with the threat of an incoming summer storm. Through the front window, he saw billowing black clouds racing to cover every inch of blue sky.  _ ‘Not exactly subtle,’ _ he grumbled to whomever was listening. If the universe was messing with him, it was doing a magnificent job of it. Was he being over dramatic? Probably. But he was nothing if not irrational; that much hadn’t changed in his old age. 

“We’ll call Jackson and ask him to spend the night with us, too,” she said and he detected a hint of teasing in her tone. “That way you have another person to back you up in the event my brother tries to kill you.” 

“Ha ha, very funny.” 

She took pity on him and wrapped her arms around his middle, sighing as she tucked her head beneath his chin. A perfect fit. He inhaled the sweet aroma of her shampoo and kissed the top of her head. Of all the places in the world, this was where he felt the most content. Just himself, Scully and their growing daughter nestled between them, safe and secure. The baby must have been asleep and undisturbed because she didn’t greet them with a happy kick.

Wind driven rain pelted the windows as the thunderstorm made its final approach. Weather alerts pinged his phone while in the store earlier as he scanned the fresh vegetables, then he rushed through the remaining shopping to get home before the soaking rain hit. Maybe the storms would make another appearance tomorrow and make it impossible for Bill and Tara’s plane to land.

“How about you give Jackson a call while I put the groceries away,” he suggested, reluctantly pulling away from their embrace. “And then I’ll give you the back massage I owe you.”

Hopefully the feel of her oil covered skin would distract him from the dread coiling in the pit of his stomach. He enjoyed giving her a massage as much as she loved to receive one and he could direct all his energy into making her as satisfied as possible. 

“At this point, I think _you_ need the massage much more than I do,” she purred, her hand making a hasty trip down to tease his crotch. Luck was on his side now and he was ready for her attack, encircling her wrist between his thumb and forefinger to halt her movements. From the first syllable she uttered, he could detect her future motives; there was no mistaking her sultry tone either. So many years he wondered what an aroused Scully would sound like and it was a crime he hadn’t spent his entire adulthood with such knowledge.

He took a step back and dropped her hand. “My time will come, Scully. The little guy’s tuckered out anyway.”

“Little? You’re forgetting that I’m well acquainted with the goods you’re hiding under those jeans… There’s nothing  _ little  _ about-”

“Go and call our son,” he interrupted before he heard what came next. “We still have plans to make if we’re going to be ready for guests.”

She frowned, mocking him with her eyes, before turning and tossing the words ‘party pooper’ over her shoulder. 

**********  


In the kitchen, he deposited the bags on the counter and began to take inventory of the food he just purchased, plus the items they already had stocked. If he was made aware of the company, he would have made sure to plan extra meals ahead of time. He didn’t know anything about Bill other than his military experience and hatred for himself. Tara was an even greater mystery.

Another trip to the store was in his future. They had a healthy selection of salad-making ingredients and enough Cheetos to feed an army. There had to be at least four bags stuffed inside the pantry and Scully always made him grab an extra during his weekly shopping trip. She was borderline addicted and claimed the baby was demanding them, but he knew she had a fondness for Cheetos long before she became pregnant. Long car and plane rides and layovers in faraway cities were a great source of intimate information, and he’d caught her licking orange cheese off her fingers on more than one occasion. The only difference now was her affinity for dipping them in cream cheese. 

As he went to put the milk, eggs and orange  juice away in the refrigerator, he came to a sudden halt. The last sonogram image hung proudly, stuck to the fridge with a magnet from their trip to Aruba ten years ago. It was an important milestone and in Scully’s words:  _ We’ll see her everyday and she’ll remind us of our good fortune.  _ It worked, too. His morning coffee was a bit brighter when he could see their healthy baby. 

To say he was beside himself over the news was an understatement. At her appointment, he shook like a leaf in his chair and gripped her hand so hard he worried for her fingers, as Doctor Jennifer Morello moved the paddle in search of the right spot. And when he heard Scully gasp  _ it’s a girl  _ with such confidence and pride, he lost it. If Jennifer weren’t Scully’s friend and former coworker, he might have been embarrassed for his sudden waterworks. It was two months worth of emotion bubbling to the surface all at once and he was powerless to stop the tears from falling.

Everyone always made a point to explain the conjured feelings of total awe and unconditional love but he couldn’t fathom the undeniable truth of those sentiments. The flurry of emotions from relief and delight to excitement and nervous jitters, seemed more pronounced than he remembered. He’d been missing in action with Jackson, all he could recall feeling was uncertainty and fear in the short months he was back. The taste of joy he received after his son's birth was fleeting, tinged with further unease.

With Jackson back in their lives, safe and healthy, he found it relatively simple to put the painful memories behind him and enjoy the relationship he and Scully built with their son. What used to become sporadic visits had become frequent; sometimes he’d drop by unannounced for no reason at all, and other days he’d call and ask if he could bring some dinner over. Who knew his offspring would take such pride in crafting home cooked food. Seventeen year old Fox Mulder was surviving off prepackaged meals and other grab-n-go dishes. 

During one of their planned visits a few weeks ago, they partnered up to cook Scully a special dinner. No real reason, it just seemed like a fun surprise. The opportunity presented itself when her old friend Ellen invited her out for the afternoon. While she was gone, he and Jackson whipped up her favorite meal: lemon chicken risotto with thyme and garlic, along with a fresh spinach salad. It was his most ambitious recipe to date and luckily for him, he had a second person in the kitchen.

Finally he was able to bond with his son in a genuine way  _ and  _ do something nice for Scully in the process. As Jackson worked on washing and chopping up vegetables for the salad, he grilled the chicken on the stove with a mix of oil, salt, pepper and onion powder. They exchanged polite conversation, neither willing to delve very deep into the more troublesome memories. That would come later. Instead, they discussed sports, television, some of the more outlandish cases he and Scully worked on, and some other other topics. 

As it turned out, he had more in common with his son than he imagined. Some of Scully’s quirks were evident as well. While they cooked, he kept a watchful eye over Jackson as he meticulously cut the vegetables with surgical precision and it immediately reminded him of Scully. She was particular about everything she did, from cooking to folding laundry and even the way she got dressed in the morning. It was cute to see some of her habits had been passed on.

A pair of arms startled him out of his reverie, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop her from winding them around his torso and sneaking under his cotton shirt. She roamed his midsection with her fingertips and kissed any spot she could reach. The woman was going to give him a heart attack one day. 

“I’ve been waiting upstairs for twenty minutes…” she managed to murmur between her trail of kisses. “What have you been doing this whole time?”

Stronger than before, the storm raged on beyond the window; the grass down by the small pond whipped back and forth with each violent gust of wind. He didn’t even hear the deafening cracks of thunder as they settled over the house, much closer than it was when he first arrived home. Summer storms weren’t exactly uncommon this time of year, but the ferocity of the rain and high frequency of lightning shocked him.

Scully continued to stroke his abdomen, waiting patiently for his reply. He wasn’t sure what he’d been doing the past half hour or so. It should have only taken a few minutes to empty the seven grocery bags but his own thoughts must have slowed his process. “Just thinking, I guess. Some storm, huh?”

“Jackson said he’s going to wait until it clears and then head over.” Her grip loosened slightly so he could turn around to face her. The smile she flashed him was playful and mischievous. “Now… I believe you were saying something about a massage?”

She was still wearing her robe, her hair now loose around her shoulders. He missed her longer length and was grateful she decided to let it grow again; even she admitted to regretting her sudden style change. The way it clung to her dewy cheeks combined with her silky attire brought back memories of his first experience with Scully’s lingerie.

It had been an unseasonably warm evening in the spring and he just arrived home after stopping for a drink at the bar down the street. He wasn’t expecting a visitor, especially after they were caught in Skinner’s line of fire and reeling from an unpleasant meeting. He managed to shower, change into boxers and a t-shirt, and climb into bed, without noticing the additional presence in his lonely apartment. A sorry excuse for a law enforcement officer. 

It wasn’t until she cleared her throat and emerged through his open bedroom door in an emerald green teddy, the see-through lace leaving none of her curves to the imagination. He distinctly recalled the moonlight filtering through the blinds, the distant sound of sirens, a nearby dog howling in response to the disturbance and the way her skin glimmered as she stepped into one of the rays of light. Her short and sleek hair was much more red back then, but no less beautiful than the strawberry blonde she had taken to. 

The memory was forever burned in his memory and the sight of Scully in lingerie sent him back in time twenty some odd years. Few precious months of normalcy before their lives were turned upside down and inside out; it served as a reminder to live in the moment, to spend every second of his day appreciating the incredible woman watching him with a bemused grin.

Leaning down, he gave her a quick kiss and took the remaining bags from the floor. He was going to suggest the massage session should wait until they went to bed, but he could never turn her down. “I’ll be up in ten minutes. I promise.”

He finished unpacking in record speed and rejoined her in their master bedroom. When they first toured the charming, albeit a little rundown, home in western Virginia, Scully had fallen in love with the room. It wasn’t remarkable in his eyes, simply a place to sleep at night. But she was enamored with the aged wood floors, even that one creaky board he always managed to step on during his nightly trips to the kitchen, waking her each time. She had stood by the picture window overlooking the front yard, the winding dirt path and distant buildings ahead, admiring the clear and unobstructed sky with awe. His eyes flicked to the other side of the room, towards billowing curtains. Right after they moved in, he had a bench installed inside the small alcove by the window. He never used it much, but she spent hours amongst the pillows, either reading or tracking the passing clouds. It was the perfect spot to watch incoming storms, an activity they both enjoyed. There was something about the smell of fresh rainfall, the breeze ruffling their hair and the electricity humming in the air… It was comforting, relaxing and arousing all at once.

An idea came to him. “Why don’t we sit here today?”

She seemingly understood what he was suggesting and rounded the bed. She plucked a small, frosted glass bottle of oil off her side of the dresser on her way over and handed it to him. Then, his gentle seductress dropped her remaining clothes to the floor without a second thought. Only a pair of satin panties remained.

“What are you doing?”

She looked at him with a curious expression, like he sprouted a second head. “Um… sitting?” 

Any retort lodged in his throat when she plopped down on the cushioned seat, leaving space for him to slip behind her. Faced with a nearly naked Scully, his brain short circuited. He’d seen her naked at least a thousand times and the sight would always garner the same response.

“But you’re naked…”

“Yes.”

“In front of the window?”

She scoffed and waved him to her side. “Who’s gonna see me? The road is too far away and it’s pouring buckets. Nobody can see me other than you.”

Hard to argue with her logic and she was right, they had no reason to worry about onlookers. Most of their neighbors were miles down the street in each direction and the wire fence surrounding the property kept any potential trespassers away. Seclusion wasn’t a choice when they first purchased the home, it was born out of necessity rather than a preference. In recent months, he’d broached the subject of moving to no avail. Neither of them wanted to start over somewhere new, the house held too many positive memories and they far outweighed the negative ones. 

Besides, the sprawling backyard provided ample running and playing space for their daughter. He imagined a swing set and a playhouse, maybe a treehouse or pool when she got older. This was their forever home.  A few rogue raindrops made it through the screen, cool and refreshing against his arms and cheeks. Judging by the sigh of relief from Scully, she was enjoying it too. He shifted in the bench behind her, trying to find a comfortable position where he could reach her back properly and stay close. “Can you scoot up a bit, honey?”

She moved without protest and promptly sounded her approval with a soft moan as his fingers began to knead her shoulders. Her head lolled to the side when his thumbs pressed into the base of her neck the way he knew she loved. It wasn’t the spot giving her trouble, but he’d get around to her lower back later. He liked to provide her with a full work up from her stiff neck, down to that special spot below her waist he’d claimed so long ago. Many would assume his intent was born out of his subconscious desire to keep her safe from harm or to ward off any potential male suitors. 

Maybe those hunched were correct… some of the time. In most cases, he merely wanted an excuse to be close to Scully. She never seemed to mind much and on those rare occasions when she’d lean into his touch, he considered himself the luckiest son of a bitch alive. 

He still felt that way. After all the heartache and stress he’d put her through, after all she’d lost, he imagined she would have walked away. Standing in a church just a few short months ago, he’d divulged his insecurities and the load of bricks crushing his chest came tumbling to the floor. He could finally breathe again.

A sigh interrupted him, followed by her sleepy voice. “I love your hands, Mulder.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmm, yes,” she drawled, reclining back into his chest. The move narrowed the space between their bodies and made it more difficult to reach her back. “One of the first things I noticed about you were your hands.”

Somehow, he found that hard to believe, which was saying something because he could find a way to believe the impossible. “Really?”

Hair tickled his chin as she nodded. “Your fingers are so long and graceful, so strong and capable… softer than one would expect from a man. I used to be self conscious when we’d hold hands.”

She was delirious; a combination of the rhythmic rain beating the roof and his tender squeezing lulled her into an almost dream-like state. He knew, just by the slow cadence in which she spoke and the sudden ease in her muscles. The information wasn’t new to him anyway, she complained about her dry and cracked hands on more than one occasion. Though, he was sure she was exaggerating because they never seemed to be as terrible as she made them sound. Every inch of Scully was smooth and supple, from her hair down to her toes. 

“Best of all? You know how to use them,” she continued, one of her hands sneaking behind her. He skirted her attempts at halting his movements and applied pressure to her hips. “You’re intuitive. Before we had intimate knowledge of one another, you could figure out what I needed and where I needed it.”

He knew where this was going, probably before she even figured it out herself.

She caught him when his guard was down, capturing his fingers and gently tugged them. The angle wasn’t the most comfortable, but she was a woman on a mission and wouldn’t be deterred. “Can you guess where I want your hands now?” 

Again, he had a pretty good idea. 

“Twice this morning wasn’t enough to get you through the day? We have company coming… things to prepare.”

“Am I wearing you out, Old Man?” she tossed over her shoulder. “Fortunately, I’m not asking much of you this time.”

Other men might feel slighted by her insinuation, but the mental image of their early morning unions were enough proof of his sexual prowess. Scully was only taunting him, even if he really was an old man now. 

Chuckling softly, he caressed the sensitive spot just below her right ear with his lips. Tit for tat, Scully. “You joke, but you’re forgetting who has all the power here. One more wisecrack and I could decide I’ve had enough. No more  _ massages _ for you, ma’am.”

That got her attention, but only for a brief second. She forged ahead with her plan and slipped their hands underneath her panties. They both groaned in unison as he took control of their movements, dipping his index finger into her heat. It was a tough position, given the small bench and her larger than normal stomach taking up much of the available space, but he made it work. 

“Y-you didn’t have a chance, Mulder,” she sighed. “I had you the moment you laid eyes on my robe.”

“Oh, really? You’re pretty arrogant for someone in your position.” He added his other hand to the fray, using it to tease the underside of one breast. She cried out when he palmed her generous size and she dug her nails into his thighs. The marks stung with the force of her grip, but it was a small price to pay for her pleasure. He thought about moving this party to the bed and allowing himself to seek release alongside Scully. The possibility vanished into thin air when she arched against his chest and spread her legs in offering.

Using a second, then third finger, he used his palm to brush against her swollen clit with gentle precision as he worked her into a frenzy. It didn’t take much, because the eighth time around he pinched her nipple and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. She let out a string of  _ oh gods  _ and fell against his chest, as limp as a rag doll.  He gave her a few minutes to regain control over her erratic breathing. The only sound from Scully was a pained hiss when his hand left her body. “Sorry,” he said sincerely, running the tips of his fingers up and down the tops of her thighs. His touch had the desired effect and she relaxed once more. 

After a moment, she craned her neck and  beamed up at him. His heart skipped when she smiled and he wondered  _ how  _ she could possibly love him so much. So much pain he’d caused and still she remained, whole and in one piece. He captured her lips, pouring twenty years of passion and appreciation into the kiss. Instinctively, his palms found her belly and roamed in search of a foot, or maybe an elbow. He found neither, but continued his hunt anyway. 

It was Scully who broke the kiss, grumbling about needing to use the bathroom for the tenth time today. He helped her stand on shaky legs and watched her sidestep the discarded clothing and retreat through the door without another word. 

He sat quietly for a moment longer, willing the tightness in his jeans to subside. The tantalizing view of her perfectly toned ass didn’t help his cause, so he turned his attention to the front yard. Late afternoon sun poked through the heavy cloud cover, casting the surrounding grassland in a warm, golden glow. To him, the aftermath of a storm was serene, enchanting. With the oppressive humidity gone, and the smell of fresh rain, it was rejuvenating. A renewal of sorts. 

Part of him wanted to run outside and lay down amongst the dew-covered grass like Samantha used to do on the vineyard. He could almost hear her eager giggles as she dragged him along. Sometimes he would follow willingly, collapsing on his back beside her and watching the blanket of gray fade to a clear blue. But more often than not, he’d plop himself down in one of the wicker chairs under the covered porch and observe from afar. 

The sound of running water brought him back to the present. He ought to be throwing fresh linens on the bed in their guest room, or planning meals or activities for the following day instead of allowing his mind to wander. Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure if Bill and Tara planned on staying in a hotel or spending the night with them. 

“Hey, Scully,” he called. “Did Bill say where they were staying?”

When she appeared in the doorway in a yellow sundress, he noted the slight crease between her brow that told him all he needed to know. “Since it’s only one night, I may have offered the guest room.”

They had three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor, more than enough space for company if it weren’t for the half-empty nursery. A fresh coat of sage green paint had been applied and the various furniture pieces remained in their boxes and piled against the wall. It was large, with double windows and sparkling wood floors. When they settled on a color for an area rug, one would be placed in the center of the room, along with a couple shelves for various decorations they’d yet to purchase. 

The second bedroom and attached bath down the hall had been turned into a space for Jackson when he visited. He and Scully bought the basic necessities years ago, but they allowed their son to personalize the room. It remained the same, other than a stack of books on the nightstand, spare clothes folded in the dresser drawers, and a television mounted to the wall opposite the bed. Since it had a bathroom, it was probably the best option for Bill and Tara.

Scully must have sensed his concerns, because she came to the same conclusion. “Jackson won’t mind switching for the night. We can either bring the sofa bed upstairs or he can sleep in the den.”

“Leave it downstairs,” he said with a shrug. Even though he seemed to be okay with the prospect of a baby sister, it still felt cruel to force their son to sleep in a nursery. Bygones and all that, at least that’s what Jackson had reiterated. It didn’t matter though, the guilt would never fade. “He’s up all night anyway, so we may as well give him the first floor.”

“Good plan, Mulder.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I’ll go finish the laundry. Why don’t you change the sheets and then we can figure out what to make for dinner.”

**********

Hours after Jackson arrived, they finally cleared out takeout boxes covering the coffee table and settled on the couch. Scully retired to bed early, leaving them to their own devices.

It was nearing eleven, neither tired enough for sleeping. Mulder replayed potential scenarios for the upcoming day, gears whirring like an old video tape. As soon as one finished, he would rewind back to the beginning to change a few minor details, hoping for different outcomes. This went on for about an hour before his son called him out and asked why he was so worried about Scully’s brother.

That was a loaded question, a can of worms best left unopened and tucked away. Bill’s disdain was rooted in his unnecessary need to protect his little sister from anything and everything, including her irrational and dangerous partner. On some level, the urge to shield his family from harm was understandable, given his own protective instincts. What Mulder couldn’t understand was Bill’s continued malice. Not only did he make backhanded comments at every turn, he’d even tried to keep him and Scully apart during their separation. 

And tomorrow afternoon, he was going to face William Scully and grit his teeth, ignoring all the rage simmering in his stomach. He’d be the perfect gentleman for the sake of  _ his  _ family. She said something about mending fences earlier today and he was willing to set their baggage aside. 

“You’re still thinking about tomorrow, aren’t you?” 

Perceptive  _ and _ persistent—Jackson was becoming more and more like his mother by the day. Casting a sideways glance in his direction, Mulder saw genuine interest hidden in his expression. 

“How did this beef between you two start anyway?” Jackson asked, prompting him for an answer. “From what little information Dana has given me, his hostility towards you came out of the blue.”

Here, on the couch with his first child, the last topic he wanted to discuss was the needless suffering he had brought upon Scully and her family. If it weren’t for his work, cancer wouldn’t have nearly taken her life. If it weren’t for him, Melissa would likely be alive today. His daughter would have an aunt. 

It pained his heart to mention anything related to Scully’s cancer, but answering his son with the whole truth was more important than the heartache the topic conjured. “Well, according to Dana, Bill made hurtful comments long before I even met the guy. My, uh, reputation precedes me.” He chuckled in an attempt to deflect, his usual coping mechanism. “But I really got the brunt of his anger when Scully was diagnosed with cancer...”

“You don’t have to tell me...” Jackson replied, crossing his legs at the ankle and resting his feet on the coffee table. “I know it’s still... painful to talk about.”

“There isn’t much to tell, to be honest. Bill shot daggers at me anytime I tried to visit her in the hospital and rarely spoke to me directly, other than calling me a sorry son of a bitch and other degrading comments.”

Bill had also told him to ditch his sister for a final time and refuse to accept any phone calls from her. On multiple occasions. When Scully found out, many years later, it had taken all his strength to force her to drop it and pretend he hadn’t said anything. She was furious; chest heaving, cheeks tinged pink and those cute wrinkles in her forehead creased with frustration. She was always so beautiful, even when she was angry.

Jackson’s usual frown twitched into an eerily similar half-smile. “What’d you do? If someone ever tried to butt into any business involving my girl, I’d punch them in the nose.”

“Your girl?” 

Mulder tried not to meddle, he truly did. For one, he missed out on the chance to be his father. It didn’t feel right to pry and therefore, he waited for Jackson to offer up any private details of his own free will. It helped all three of them navigate this strange and complicated relationship they were just beginning to rebuild, brick by brick and stone by stone. 

Progress was evident. They were practically strangers at the start of the year, blood the only thing binding them together. A mere six months later and comfortable movie nights, shared dinners on the patio and ordinary conversation were commonplace. 

“Hey, we’re not talkin’ about me, don’t change the subject.”

He threw his hands up. “Okay, okay. Well, I never hit him. Though, it was tempting,” he admitted, visualizing the many instances he wished he popped Bill in the nose. Too many to count. “But I couldn’t do that to Scully. She was already distanced from her family, other than Maggie. I couldn’t draw a line in the sand and make her choose between her brother and her partner.”

So, he swallowed his pride. For Scully. Then, in a twist he should’ve seen coming, she went to battle with her brother, guns blazing. On his behalf, his pint-sized partner went toe-to-toe with a former naval officer. All for him: her crackpot—borderline insane—coworker. Mulder couldn’t hold back a grin. 

Jackson returned his smile with a small one of his own. “What?” 

“Uh, your moth-“ he hesitated, then coughed away the discomfort. For all the strides they made, it was still weird to refer to themselves as mother and father. They were sticking with Dana and Mulder for now, hoping to graduate to formalities in the future. “Dana gave him a verbal ass kicking a time or two.”

“Yeah? I can see that; she doesn’t take shit from anyone, especially you.”

Oh, yeah.  _ Especially _ him. Cases wouldn’t have been the same without Scully’s criticism. He’d probably be dead, or seriously injured. 

A creek coming from the staircase interrupted their conversation, footsteps soon followed. When he turned, he saw Scully padding towards the couch. Luckily, she’d ditched the sexy robe for his clothes: a threadbare T-Shirt, her belly stretching the material, and a pair of his sweats. He automatically knew she’d found the pants on top of the hamper, where he’d left them the evening prior. They needed to be washed but she evidently didn’t mind.

“Hi, beautiful,” he said, taking her hand as she approached. Bringing her knuckles to his lips, he kissed them softly, mindful of the other presence in the room. “Did we wake you?”

“No, my bladder did,” she sighed and sat on the arm of the couch, much like she did earlier but with different attire. “It’s late… I was wondering what you two had gotten up to since I went to bed.”

She peered at the television and smirked. “The Twilight Zone, Mulder?”

“It wasn’t my choice, I swear.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Jackson rose to his defense and corroborated his story. “It’s true… I’ve loved it since I was a kid.”

It looked like Scully was going to cry. To be fair, he’d had almost the same reaction when Jackson suggested it, but he managed to keep the tears at bay. DNA tests proved their relation without a shadow of a doubt, but the mutual love of bizarre programming and unexplained phenomena sealed the deal. He managed to impart some strange wisdom on his child and the thought made his chest swell with pride.

“Baseball  _ and _ Twilight Zone?” she mused aloud. He could hear the roughness in her voice from unshed tears. “I’m glad you two have found something to… bond over.”

_ ‘More than just sports and television,’ _ Mulder thought to himself and turned his attention to the bag of sunflower seeds between him and Jackson. They were the kind without shells, so Scully would be happy to see the lack of discarded husks all over the couch and floor. He preferred the task of de-shelling his seeds, but occasionally he bought the other kind. In this case, Scully was the one to purchase them.

She yawned and dropped his hand, yawning once more as she stood. “I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, Jackson.” They exchanged identical smiles. “And Mulder, make sure you lock up before coming upstairs.”

Mulder nodded. “We’ll call it a night after this episode.”

When her footsteps faded and they could hear the floorboards above them, Jackson popped another seed into his mouth. “You know, you should really get to it and marry her already.”

Of all the sentences he’d expected to hear tonight,  _ that  _ was not even close to a possibility. It took him a while to recover, nearly choking on his own saliva. 

“I mean, it’s been a long time right?” he persisted. “What are you too  _ cool  _ for marriage or something? Too old school?”

“N-no, not... not exactly, he stammered, lost and searching for a way to tell him. “Though, I still believe feelings and commitment aren’t contingent on a ceremony or piece of paper…”

Instead of beating around the bush, he looked his son in the eye. “We technically are married, Jackson. Neither of us wear rings, but we have them. It’s just…”

“Just?” Jackson parroted, nudging him for an answer. 

“We never agreed to start wearing rings again after… after we got back together.” He knew Scully kept her wedding band on her nightstand, inside a small crystal bowl; the one her mother used for special jewelry. His ring was inside its original box, tucked in the small safe he kept in the master closet. “I never thought I’d ever get married; watching my parents and every relationship around me fail, it scared me away from the idea.”

“So, why’d you do it?”

Because he loved Scully. That was the only reason—the only reason for anything. “Because it felt right. I know that’s not a very good answer, but it’s the truth.”

Jackson seemed to be satisfied with his reasoning and was silent for a moment before dropping another bomb of a suggestion. “You should ask her again, to wear the rings I mean. It’s obvious you love each other, so what’s stopping you?”

Guilt was the primary culprit, with a little fear sprinkled in for good measure.  _ He  _ was the underlying cause of their destruction and that knowledge still weighed heavily on his conscience. If he had only listened to Scully when she suggested therapy for his depression, maybe they wouldn’t have lost two years together. The insinuation had only made him more resentful and caused him to retreat further into the darkness. Away from the one person he cared for the most. 

The dark was a distant memory now, replaced with brilliant light. Jackson was safe, opening up to them more and more each day. Scully was here, healthy and at peace. Their second child was going to make her grand entrance in less than four months. Mulder was on cloud nine.

“Mulder?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Jackson said, offering Mulder a way out. “It’s none of my business. I was only curious.”

Mulder stopped him from standing with a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

His son laughed, his floppy, overgrown hair falling over his eyes. “For what, badgering you?”

“No. For kicking my ass into gear.” Both of them stood, Mulder grabbing the bag between them while Jackson took the drink glasses. “I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s late…”

The watch on his wrist read 11:45, late for an almost sixty year old but early for a seventeen year old. 

They exchanged good nights and after some quick cleanup, Mulder was back in the bedroom, shuffling his big feet across the floor in a futile attempt to keep quiet. He brushed his teeth quickly and changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants. 

Scully’s eyes were closed, her breath deep and even. She was on her side facing his portion of the bed, one hand tucked under her chin and the other holding her belly. Even in sleep, she was subconsciously protecting the baby. 

He turned down the sheets and slipped in beside her, snuggling as close as possible without waking her. Once there, he inched down a bit and kissed the place he often felt the jovial kick from the baby. She seemed to be just as sleepy as her mother, because he wasn’t greeted with any movement.

Replacing his lips with a hand, he stroked the spot. “I love you, little one.” Within a millisecond, she was kicking his palm. He pulled away, hoping she’d quiet back down so Scully didn’t wake.

Too late.

Her hand covered his over the curve of her stomach. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

“I woke you, didn’t I?” He flashed her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Scully. I didn’t get a chance to say goodnight, I didn’t mean to bring out her inner gymnast.”

“She’s active tonight. I managed to fall asleep with her kicking the crap out of me” she said sleepily, eyes drifting closed. “Come over here.”

They briefly uncoupled; Scully closed the remaining distance and wrapped her arm around his middle, while he tucked her head beneath his chin. He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she replied without hesitation. “Everything will be okay tomorrow, I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would happen if Bill Scully came to visit our favorite duo AFTER the events of season 11?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know this story is still heavy on the Mulder and Scully relationship stuff. I’m just not as comfortable with writing other characters into my stories yet. I do eventually plan to work my way there, since I’ve had a case file story idea kicking around in my head for a couple years now. So please excuse the dialogue between other characters. It’s not my best but I hope to get better if I write any more stories.

“Mulder, you’re going to burn a hole in the floor,” she warned, her water glass clinking against the coaster. “Come and sit, it’s early. They’re not due until noon.”

For close to an hour, he’d been pacing. Starting in the living room, he worked his way out to the backyard, around the house and back inside. He’d done this  _ at least  _ fifteen times since he began. Now, he walked back and forth in the entryway as Scully and Jackson watched on in mild irritation.

What else was he gonna do? The anticipation was gnawing at his patience. He wanted a time machine to fast forward the next forty-eight hours; none of the awkward small talk and quiet tension, with all the reward. Unfortunately the future many imagined for 2018 was still a distant hope. 

He paused and considered taking the seat next to Scully. She would rest a hand in his knee to halt his bouncing leg, probably sift her fingers through his hair. The latter had a serene quality to it, often lulling him into a trance-like state of calm. Hair touching was an early form of intimacy for them, starting long before they acknowledged deeper feelings. Her silky soft hair was a comfort to him, much like his own was to her.

Five more laps later, he eyed the clock once more and settled down on the couch. Jackson was preoccupied with some Netflix drama and Scully was mindlessly flipping through a parenting magazine. 

“I’m jumping out of my skin here.” He fidgeted some more. “I don’t know if I can do this, Scully. Your brother  _ hates _ me.”

She sighed heavily and placed a hand on his forearm. “That may have been true at one point, but it isn’t anymore. Do you trust me?”

“Implicitly.”

“Then trust me when I tell you: he doesn’t hate you anymore. It’s water under the bridge,” she reassured him, grinning when she realized it worked. 

He exhaled some of the stress away and turned to his son, who was glued to the television screen. “So, Jackson, why aren’t you nervous about meeting two of your relatives?”

The shrug he gave in response to the question was such a stereotypical teenage gesture, he almost laughed out loud. Scully would say the move wasn’t unique to kids; she’d remind him of his flair for the dramatic—much like a seventeen year old.

“‘Cause I’m not the one he hates,” Jackson snickered, then recovered to ask a semi-serious question. “Does Bill know about me? That I’m back in your lives?”

Both him and Jackson watched Scully expectantly. Mulder wasn’t sure of the answer either; he never found a spare second to ask. Since she never told Bill about the baby, he assumed the same was true for Jackson’s reappearance. “No,” she said directly, but he detected the hint of guilt camouflaged by her matter-of-fact tone. “It’s not that I didn’t want to… it’s a lot.”

“Understandable,” Jackson mumbled, shiftingin his seat and returning his attention back to the television. “So, he doesn’t know about the baby either.”

It was posed as a statement, not a question. Scully answered anyway, explaining that news such as pregnancy and the return of their son wasn’t something she could reveal over the phone. She had to have her brother here, face-to-face. Bill would be less likely to explode once he saw the evidence for himself was her justification. 

How did she expect to hide her stomach anyway? Today she wore a blouse in lieu of her usual dresses or baggy T-Shirts and while the material wasn’t tight, it didn’t conceal her belly either. Not to mention the slight roundness in her face. That might go unnoticed by Bill but Tara would catch on, she had a child of her own and would detect the signs. 

For those reasons, Mulder thought it would’ve been smarter to tell him over the phone. He kept his opinion to himself though and let Scully run the show. 

Jackson was just as intuitive as both his parents and ostensibly read Mulder’s mind. “Don’t you think… Um, isn’t it obvious?” He gestured towards her midsection with one hand. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Scully wasn’t offended. In fact, she chuckled heartily and rubbed her stomach. “I think he’ll be distracted by you, as well as seeing Mulder again in the home he shares with me, to notice anything else,” she assured them and stood. He immediately went to help, but stopped himself from coddling her.

The conversation ended there, each retreating to their own thoughts. He could hear Scully in the kitchen, the fridge door opening and closing, followed by the crinkle of a chip bag. 

“Don’t even say it, Mulder!” she yelled, sounding slightly muffled by the bite of food she’d clearly taken before speaking. When she plopped back down next to him, she offered him a Cheeto, which he declined, and leaned into his side. His stomach was too queasy for food; the vegetable omelet he’d made himself for breakfast sat in his gut like a rock. “What’s the matter? You’re looking a little green there, Mulder.”

His stomach flip-flopped some more and he cursed himself for forgetting to buy antacids at the grocery store yesterday. Old age was a funny thing, laughing in his face as it revealed each new layer. Indigestion plagued him frequently and considering the stress of baby preparation and Bill Scully’s impending arrival, his heartburn was out of control. 

The impulse to run out the front door was intense, overpowering. Self-control wasn’t his forte. It took all of his focus to ignore the basic instinct telling him to bail. But he couldn’t do something so selfish. Scully was less nervous than him, but she knew her brother and how to manage his surly demeanor. While Mulder had extensive experience with difficult personalities, familial relationships were not in his wheelhouse. 

A cool hand curled around his wrist and brought it to her belly. It was a smart move on her part; she knew the happy greeting he’d receive would calm his internal turmoil.

And it worked, until the  _ ding dong  _ of the doorbell reached his ears. It was a foreign sound; most visitors knocked, if they had them. The only people they maintained contact with were Skinner and his wife Arlene, Jackson, and Scully’s friend Ellen. Other than the four, they generally kept to themselves and weren’t subject to guests. When they did show up, the bell wasn’t used. 

Scully was up off the couch in a flash, quicker than he’d seen her move in a couple weeks. His watch was telling him they were thirty-five minutes early. She cupped his jaw and smiled fondly. “It’s only one day, Mulder. Everything is going to be fine.”

He saw the sincerity in her eyes and that softened him up a bit. With a deep and tremulous exhale, he looked over his shoulder to see Jackson flipping off the television and walking towards the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Jackson stopped, grinning like he knew something Mulder didn’t. “Figured I’d leave you to catch up. Spring one surprise on him at a time, yanno?”

Not a bad idea in theory, but he was expecting to have another person on his side. He stole a glance at Scully and silently begged her for assistance. 

“You have to admit,” she said reluctantly. “It’s not a terrible idea. You said it yourself yesterday: he’s going to be… stunned by the pregnancy alone. Maybe it’s best to spring the news on him one at a time.”

Ever the logical one, Scully made a great point. He was already scared of Bill’s reaction to the baby. The mental images he played over in his head all included a red-faced man, reaming him for being irresponsible and for holding her hostage. The last part was ridiculous. Mainly because Scully was a grown woman and could leave if she wanted. Lord knew, she’d left once before. 

But she came back. Best of all, she was the one to make the first move and he wasn’t talking about the Incredible sex either. Oh, no. It wasn’t until the completion of their next case, curled up on the brown leather sofa with the remnants of their takeout dinner strewn around the coffee table, the failed Bigfoot mold filled with goo pushed to the side. Then, she sleepily climbed into his lap, borrowed into his neck and told him she was ready to move some of her things back, that the lease on her home was set to lapse. 

They took it slow, only spending a few nights a week together. But after her place was nearly blown to smithereens, they assumed the universe was giving them a sign.

“Mulder?” a soft voice penetrated his reminiscing and the reality of what was about to happen crashed upon him like a ton of bricks. “We’re gonna need to answer the door at some point.”

His hands dropped from her waist and pulled at the hem of his shirt to fix the small wrinkles that formed. He regretted his outfit choice. A button down with jeans would have been a better choice than the black T-Shirt he threw on after his shower. 

How long had he been lost in thought? Long enough to warrant another strange and concerned look from Scully. Blood roared in his ears, pulse thumping as she unlatched the front door and revealed a lone figure, one bag near her feet. 

Tara. 

Alone.

With no Bill in sight.

Momentary hope blossomed in his chest. Had Bill come to the same conclusion as Mulder and stayed behind?

“Dana!” Tara beamed, enveloping Scully in a huge bear hug. It lasted for half a second before she pulled away and held Scully at arms length. “My god, look at you. You’re so beautiful!”

Scully scoffed. “Hardly. I haven’t had a good night's rest in weeks.”

“The same thing happened to me with Matthew,” she said, bringing Scully back in for another hug. “You’re glowing.”

Wait. Glowing? Matthew? He’d just assumed that Tara was in the dark about their news as well. It never occurred to him to ask and clearly, Scully forgot to clue him in. 

“And Mulder!” Tara turned her attention to him, giving him a quick hug as well. He’d only met her once before, but the squeeze was genuine. When she let go, he couldn’t help but share her burst of excitement. “You must be over the moon. A little girl, huh?”

The confusion must have shown on his face because Scully inhaled sharply and brought a hand to her mouth, still addressing her sister-in-law. “Shit! I completely forgot to mention our conversation when you called.”

“What conversation?” he mustered, frazzled by the new piece of information. “Tara, you  _ know _ ?”

Scully answered, one of her soft, apologetic smiles easing some of the worry. “Yes. We spoke yesterday and I broke the news. Bill still doesn’t know; she promised to keep it a secret until we were all together.”

In his muddled brain, he was able to make sense of her choice. It would be nice to have another person in their corner and it seemed like Tara was the total opposite of her husband. In the few minutes they’ve had to catch up, he sized her up and came to that conclusion quite quickly. She couldn’t contain her excitement and it was contagious. Scully was right when she described Tara as bubbly and spirited.

“Where is Bill, anyway?” 

Tara sighed and peered over her shoulder. “He’s on the phone with the airline. They lost his luggage.” For a moment, Mulder thought he saw amusement hidden beneath her distress. “I managed to pack my carry-on just fine, but Bill plans for every minor inconvenience—I bet you’re used to that, Mulder.”

He was to some degree. Scully had the tendency to overpack, depending on the destination of their trip. However, she generally stuck to an easily transported duffel bag like he did. In the event they thought the stay might be longer than a week, she’d upgrade to a traditional suitcase. Unlike himself though, she always brought extras in the event of an emergency. While he would need to make a stop at the nearest department store to replace a ripped shirt, or a muddied pair of pants, Scully had spares back at the motel. A product of her upbringing, he supposed, and it ran in the family.

“Anyway, he had to check his bag and they appear to have lost it. Bill’s been on the phone since we picked up the rental car,” she went on as he took the bag dangling from her hand. “He should be almost finished. When I left, he finally reached a human. Would you mind if I used the bathroom? It was an eventful flight to say the least. The worst turbulence I’ve experienced.”

Great. Bill had  _ another _ reason to be grumpy. As Mulder showed Tara the way to the downstairs bathroom, he started to search his brain for an escape hatch. Work couldn’t be used as an excuse anymore. He didn’t have many family members left other than a couple distant cousins, so a family emergency was out of the running. That left him with illness, but he couldn’t bail now. They traveled across the country to visit and it would be rude to turn away now.

Scully crossed the six foot distance between them once he returned. She wore a mask of sympathy and wrapped her arms around his back in remorse. “I know what you’re thinking.”

He waited for her to elaborate, but nothing came. And before long, footsteps lumbered up the pathway, then up the creaky stairs. The presence was unmistakable.

“Dana,” the deep voice mumbled, and Scully scurried out of his arms and greeted her brother with a fleeting hug. He couldn’t be sure if she kept it brief because he’d detect the discernible bulge hidden under her shirt or she thought it might be awkward after such a long time. “Good to see you.”

She stepped away and swiftly cozied next to Mulder, her silent way of forming a united front. Bill visited alone twice in all the years Mulder lived with her, the last being seven years ago. In both instances, she kept her distance like she was afraid to show him affection in the presence of her big brother. 

“Mulder,” he said with a nod, but they shook hands anyway. “Been a while.”

He spent the last twenty-four hours preparing for a verbal lashing and though Bill appeared to be amiable, the storm had yet to make landfall. Unsure of what to do with himself, he gestured him through the entryway and into the living room. 

The click of the door closing behind them activated his fight or flight response and he began to nervously throw out question after question to fill the uncomfortable silence. If anything, Bill was amused by the foolish babbling and actually laughed. Well, maybe not a traditional laugh, more like a snort mixed with a chuckle. 

“He’s still weird isn’t he?” 

She smirked and ran a hand down from his shoulder to elbow. “Not like he used to be, but probably pretty weird by your standards.”

Tara returned then, looking refreshed. “This place is so peaceful. Just from the glimpse I got of the backyard, it seems you have quite the plot of land! I didn’t notice it during our last visit.”

Mulder was proud of the work he’d done on the property. It had taken them years to complete the job due to the circumstances at the time. He couldn’t exactly go into town and buy the supplies needed. While Scully could and certainly did, she kept close to home as well in order to keep themselves safe. The house was a bit rundown when they purchased it, but beggars couldn’t afford to be choosers. 

Once he was able to show his face again, he got to work on the inside first and worked his way from the second floor down, then from the front yard to the back in a circle. It went from a derelict shack to their own secluded oasis. He had fond memories of Scully, paint smeared along her chin, in her worn-in jeans with a couple rips in the thigh, one dangerously close to the round curve of her ass, as she painted. He’d been so enamored by the smallest patch of bare skin there, she’d often end up with her back against the wall with his tongue probing her full, pink lips. 

“It was a laborious task, but it was worth it,” he admitted as they sat around the coffee table. He wished for one more minute alone with Scully to discuss the task at hand. The baby wouldn’t come up organically in conversation, but they couldn’t just blurt it out either. “I’m proud of it.”

Scully smiled and leaned into his shoulder. _ ‘I’m proud of it, too.’  _ That’s what the subtle quirk of her lips told him. It was soon replaced with a grimace, one that he’d come to recognize. The baby was kicking and hard too, if her wince was any indication. It took all of his self control to keep from soothing the spot, and he could see Scully resisting the same impulse.

“So,” Scully changed the subject, pulling at her shirt and tenting it slightly over stomach. “How’s it going out in San Diego? What’s Matthew up to?”

Bill was busy scanning his surroundings, probably searching for something he could complain about. At least that’s what the paranoid part of Mulder’s brain was insisting on; the smaller, more rational, section of his brain was unable to compete and take over.

“He’s in school. An engineering major if you can believe it.” Tara smiled again and fiddled her engagement ring. “He’d always idolized his father and I figured that path would lead him straight to the military. Both of us were taken by surprise.”

“Sounds like he’s a smart kid,” Mulder said, inwardly thinking about his own incredibly intelligent child only a couple rooms away. “We hoped to get to know him some more. I think I’ve met him only once, right?”

Of course, he recalled the one time he met Matthew back when he was still considered a child. He had red hair, the same sky-blue eyes as his aunt, and a boisterous personality to boot. Given Mulder’s own propensity for mischief, they got along pretty well from the get-go.

“He wanted to head back to campus early to settle in, that’s why he isn’t with us.” Bill leaned back in the leather armchair to the right of Scully. He still sounded a bit surly but since the initial greetings were in the rear view, he was less rigid and fidgety. “This was all last minute.”

“It’s okay. We would have loved to see him but we might not have been able to house an additional person right now,” Mulder babbled, wishing he could call back the words as soon as he opened his mouth. He looked to Scully for instructions: a nod, a smile, a shrug—something to gauge his next step. “It’s just that, uh… We…”

Scully took mercy on his poor soul and took the reins, leaning toward slightly to look her brother in the eye. “Bill, Mulder and I have something to tell you.”

The tension he was accustomed to with her brother came bubbling back to the surface and any trace of Bill’s friendly side was gone. “What did Mulder do now? I swear if you’re leaving on some wild goose chase, I’ll-”

“Enough, Bill,” Scully snapped, deploying the stern tone he only heard her use with criminals or himself when he did something exceptionally treacherous. “Mulder isn’t going anywhere and neither am I. For countless reasons, and one very important one, that life is behind us now.”

Tara replied straight away, avoiding her husband’s stare. “And what might the one very important reason be?”

“Well, I-I don’t know how to say this-”

“Scully’s pregnant,” he interrupted Scully now, much like she’d done to stop Bill’s inevitable tirade. “We’re having a baby.”

Studying the facial expressions of each person in the room other than Bill, he glanced from woman to woman in the hopes of gathering some clues as to how Bill was reacting. The girls weren’t giving much away, unfortunately; both appeared to be holding in a breath, much like he’d been doing since their company arrived. 

“What? How is that even possible?”

Scully retorted in an instant, explaining as best she could. Mulder had yet to comprehend the improbability of a second miracle conception. Standing on the dock, chilled to the bone from the icy sea spray and cool wind coming off the water, she changed his life forever. The pressure of her hand keeping his palm flat against her belly was his anchor, tethering him to earth. He’s been dangerously close to sinking into a deep, dark abyss and if that happened, he knew the will to claw his way out would’ve been fruitless. 

But then he saw her nod, heard the urgency in her voice, and most importantly,  _ felt  _ the slight swell beneath his fingertips. She trembled from the cold, from the enormity of losing one child and gaining another, all within the last day, but their hands never wavered. She held strong, unrelenting, as her crystal blue eyes brimmed with tears and it was enough to pluck him from despair and fill his heart with hope—the hope for another chance, a way to make up for past mistakes. Jackson had told him as such after his eventual return: he sacrificed himself for his baby sister and for his parents. A noble endeavor that paid off in a few months time. 

Mulder still hadn’t thanked Jackson enough for his selfless act. Their son saved them and as far as he was concerned, there wasn’t anything either he or Scully could do to make it up to him. He prayed unconditional love was an adequate trade. 

“I-“ Bill shook his head and Mulder prepared for the beast he remembered to rear its ugly head. “I don’t know what to say.”

Tara shot her husband a pair of daggers from the other side of the coffee table. “Um, congratulations maybe? Your sister is having a baby, Bill. This is splendid news, so wipe that sour look off your face and be happy for her—for them.” 

Scully said she was fiery and it was nice to have someone else fighting in their honor. “Girl or boy?” Bill asked, his voice softening a bit. Less accusatory, less combative. 

“Girl,” he and Scully replied in unison, then he whispered, “A little girl.” The last bit was more for his sake than anyone else. 

“When’s she due?” Bill once again, louder this time.

“Mid-October,” Scully answered, wincing again and with their secret revealed, she tried to appease the small foot begging for attention. “We’re hoping she comes a couple days early so she can share a birthday with her father. She certainly has the will to escape.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He actually laughed; a true, near belly-laugh that shook his frame. Everyone other than Bill himself, who watched on with a wrinkled brow and frown, smiled. “Do you really think it would have gone over well on the phone? That I could casually say ‘Good to hear from you, oh and by the way, I’m pregnant again,’ and you wouldn’t have lost your mind?”

Her brother began to shake his head, but Scully cut him off. “Come on, Bill. You wouldn’t have wanted to hear of it through the phone.”

“But what if we never planned to come and visit? Would you have waited until the baby was born to finally tell me?”

Mulder wondered the same thing, to be honest. He figured Scully had given up on trying to maintain a friendly relationship with him, especially since he was confrontational about every little thing.

“I can’t say,” she confessed, but was unable to elaborate any further when a loud thud from the den cut through the room. It broke the tension for a beat, though it returned in record speed when he and Scully realized they couldn’t blame it on an animal or the wind. “Perfect timing…”

“For?” Tara added, crossing her legs and leaning forward. 

It was Scully who interjected now. “We have another guest staying with us, someone you may remember as William.”

“He’s almost eighteen now and goes by Jackson,” Mulder said. “Long story, but he’s home now, in a manner of speaking. He doesn’t live with us, but often spends the weekends here.”

Tara beamed and practically leaped from her seat. “He’s here now?”

“Yup. Probably playing video games in the den,” Scully said with an eye roll. “We thought it would be best to wait and tell you once you knew about the baby…”

“So you wouldn’t be bombarded at once,” Mulder finished for her. “He’s still stuck in the morose phase, but he works hard and has a good heart. Can’t wait to meet his little sister.”

With news revealed, the thousand pound weight lifted from his back. He was sure Bill would need a couple hours to process, judging by his body language. Frozen in place, his expression remained neutral. Maybe a beer or two would loosen him up and make for an enjoyable afternoon. 

Earlier that morning, Mulder took another trip to the grocery store and picked up some steaks to cook on the grill, along with two cases of beer. He kept a six pack in the house for himself, but didn’t have much else for alcohol in the house. Besides, part of the fun in having a cold bottle of beer was sharing the moment with another person and his favorite was out of commission for a while.

Scully patted his knee and stood. “Mulder, why don’t you show them to the spare bedroom, while I go fetch Jackson. Once you’ve had time to settle in, we can go out back and enjoy the weather. We just got a new grill and it’s the perfect day for a little cookout.”

**********  


The padded porch swing they had installed in their backyard was made for days like this: eighty degrees, clear blue skies and a wonderful breeze that kept them from overheating. 

After introducing Jackson to his aunt and uncle, he snuck away from the backyard festivities and disappeared into the den, presumably to take a nap or play whatever video game he’d brought with him. Bill and Tara had also decided to take a mid afternoon nap, exhaustion from travel taking its toll. 

That left Scully and himself, enjoying the time to themselves after the stress of dredging up the past and entertaining guests. 

“God, Mulder,” Scully gasped suddenly, eyes closed. “It’s so beautiful out. Did you ever think it would be possible for us to have this?” She waved her hand around in circles. “A nice home, an enormous yard, a son and healthy baby…”

No, he certainly couldn’t have imagined himself in this position when they first met. He always figured he was doomed to be a loner until he was old and gray. 

“This is nice, huh?” His thumb stroked her abdomen as the baby kicked away. He admired her full lips when she smiled, the soft skin of her neck, her delicate cross resting between her collarbones. 

The shade from the tree kept them hidden from the hot sun, but a ray of sunshine managed to escape through a small break in branches. Like a beacon in the night, he followed the bright path to the white gold ring on her left hand. Slipping it on her finger as she slept was the easy part, facing her when she had risen was the tough part.

At least that was what he pictured before drifting off himself. As dawn broke and Scully woke up, his heart rate tripled. It took her awhile to notice; he observed from the bed as she brushed her hair, teeth and went to the bathroom. He was witness to the slight jolt of her body as she was washing her hands. When she recovered from the shock and neared his side, he saw the delight shining in her ocean blue eyes and knew the right decision had been made. He had Jackson to thank for the advice. 

The next step was buying her an engagement ring to pair with her wedding band. It may have seemed unnecessary ten years ago, but he wanted her to have one now. 

Scully squirmed after a particularly hard kick from the little one. She was lying on her back while he squeezed in beside her, pinned between the back of the swing and her body. Propped up on his elbow, he fixated on every subtle change in her face, every detail as if she’d disappear the next moment. 

Her eyes opened and she reached for his hand, weaving their fingers together. “Have you thought of any names yet?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Have you?”

“Yes, but I want to hear your suggestions first.”

During the early nights of her pregnancy, when things weren’t as certain, he occupied his mind with the Internet. Namely, scrolling through website after website of potential baby names. A lot of people would probably just find a pretty name they like and end the search there. Not Mulder, no way. He pondered the origin of each one, the meaning behind the name, as well as how it would sound with the Scully last name. A wrench was thrown into his plans when she insisted the baby was a Mulder. 

But he had a list started in the notes app on his phone. Only five names made the cut, more than twenty deleted as he continued to consider the choices. Boy names were the first to go for obvious reasons, while the ones that followed simply weren’t the right match. 

“How do you feel about Annie?” he queried, watching as her forehead creased.

“Annie?”

“You don’t like it?”

She laughed, almost a snort of amusement. “I didn’t say that, it just seems too traditional and ordinary for you. I was expecting, I don’t know, Willow or Juniper or-”

“Juniper?” He made a face, scrunching his nose in distaste. “I would never do that to an innocent child, Scully.”

Scully shrugged as best she could lying flat beneath him and urged him to divulge the rest of his list. “What else?”

“Lily. One ‘L’ not two.”

“Cute,” she said honestly, “but she doesn’t feel like a Lily.”

Hm. It’s funny how two people, who can be so alike in some respects, can have opposite feelings about something as personal as a name for their offspring. All he knew about the baby was her size and her kicking patterns; in the morning, she gave a few lazy kicks, seemingly sleepy like her parents. She’d give multiple hard kicks towards lunchtime to force Scully into feeding them both.

There was something about Lily that clicked, but he had three more choices in his top five. 

“Hit me, Scully,” he requested, skimming her arm with the tips of his fingers. He hoped to coax a giggle from her. “I’ve already disclosed two, you owe me.”

“Julie.”

“ _ Julia _ is number one on my list.”

That couldn’t be a coincidence. 

Both her eyebrows raised. “Mine, too.”

Was the universe offering them a sign? He was sure of it. Neither had discussed names yet and he was sure Scully didn’t sneak through his phone. “I think that settles it then, unless we  _ see _ her and change our minds.”

“Abigail could be cute, too.” She was blushing and he couldn’t figure out why. “But I like the short form of the name better: Abby.”

The blush spread down her chest, to the neckline of the sundress she wore . He figured the flush was a side effect of the sun and heat, her light skin was prone to irritation. He was transfixed by the constellation of freckles dotting the bridge of her nose, covering most of her arms. Even her stomach had a light sprinkling of them. Almost everywhere. 

He touched her nose, then her cheek. “I hope she inherits these,” he whispered, withdrawing his finger from her face and paving a trail down her throat. “I’ve always loved women with freckles.”

A bark of laughter escaped her parted lips. “I find that hard to believe.”

“And might I ask why?”

“No real reason, they’re just so childish...” She involuntarily touched her cheek with her free hand. “I’ve spent way too much money over the years covering them up so I didn’t look like a fifteen year old.”

“I can promise you that you’ve  _ never  _ resembled a teenager in all the years I’ve known you,” he noted, searching her face for any sign of a snarky remark and found none. “Even with the bangs you were so fond of early on.”

That earned him a playful slap on the shoulder, one that turned into a soft caress of his bicep. “It was the style then, Mulder… Not that I have to explain my wardrobe or hairstyle choices to you.”

“True, but I do like this better,” he said, smoothing her hair back and away from her forehead. “It doesn’t hide your beautiful eyes.”

Her pink flush made a second appearance, turning red as it paved a similar trail down her neck and chest. She really had no idea the effect she had on men, even him. Still. He liked to think he was well acquainted with every facet of her personality. Even so, the seldom seen demure side of Dana Scully always threw him for a loop. It was in direct contrast to the confidence she carried in the field.

A powerful wave of affection crashed over him and pulled him under. Her perfect lips transformed into one of those sweet little half-smiles.

“You’re incredible, Scully. Not a day goes by when I don’t admire your strength, your intellect, your tenacity…” He kissed her temple, lingering there for a minute to breathe in her scent. “That thing you do when you’re pissed at me, an eyebrow raised to the heavens,” he continued, his lips landing above her right brow. “It just about knocks me out every time.”

“Mulder-” 

A finger to her lips, he shushed her. “The way you giggle like a five year old girl…” He was nothing if not thorough, so he tickled the spot in the hollow of her neck with his lips. A mere second later, she was wiggling beneath him and in turn, jostling the swing. 

“It’s not healthy to hold it in. I know you want to, Scully.”

“It’s unhealthy to hold in a sneeze, Mulder,” she said, failing to hide the amusement in her tone. “Don’t make stuff up to try and win an argument with me.”

Ignoring her flippant response, he added his fingers to the mix. He reached for her leg, sneaking his hand under her knee and touching another spot that made her laugh like a wild-woman. And it worked. Oh boy, did it work.

“Told you! Just like a child.”

He used the tickling as a distraction while he tasted his way down her chest. Her skin was salty with sweat and he would have stayed there, in the humid space between her breasts, if he didn’t sense a pair of eyes watching them from the patio across the lawn. 

As expected, Bill Scully stood by the back door alone with his arms crossed. He was too far away to determine whether the look on his face was born out of contempt or disgust, but it was certainly one of the two. Here he thought they turned a corner in their relationship; if he could even call it a relationship.

Meanwhile, Scully was coming down from her laughing fit and looked when he stopped his movements.

“Can I speak to you for a moment, Mulder?” Bill asked gruffly as he stopped about a yard from them. “Alone.”

Scully tried to conceal her smile with a fake yawn. “Oooh, you’re in trouble,” she teased, as if he were still a middle school student being sent to the principal’s office. 

Then, she kissed him again. 

In front of her brother.

On purpose. 

Luckily for all three of them, it was a quick one because their snuggling session left him more than a little hot under the collar. If they were alone like usual, he’d have her on his lap in two seconds flat, burying himself to the hilt inside her.

He helped Scully to her feet. “I’ll go see what Tara’s up to,” she said and made her exit.

“Was she right?  _ Am _ I in trouble?” Mulder attempted to joke as a means of deflecting from the discomfort he felt in Bill’s presence. 

“Why are you and Dana wearing rings?”

Well, that came out of left field. He’d expected something along the line of  _ ‘How dare you touch my sister like that right in front of me’  _ or  _ ‘Just because we shook hands and agreed to play nice, doesn’t mean I like you.’  _ He needed Scully for strength, to take the front seat in this conversation. Did Bill know they were married? The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind when he slipped the ring back on her finger. What impeccable timing. 

Truth was the correct path here. They appeared to have turned a corner in their rocky relationship and he didn’t want to let Scully down. “Um, yeah, well… We, uh, decided to wear them again because-”

“Again?”

Hopefully he could get through the next sentence without stuttering like a school boy. “We’re married. Have been for nearly ten years.”

Bill’s last mouth popped open in shock. “That… explains a lot.”

Was that a smirk he saw? 

“But I never got her an engagement ring… I planned to go this weekend and buy one. Better late than never.”

They were quiet for a couple seconds, listening to the birds sing. It was a weird moment because the undercurrent of hostility wasn’t present anymore.

“I’m coming with you,” Bill revealed in a tone he couldn’t decipher. “To be frank, I don’t think I can fully trust your judgment.”

What was happening here? The last person he’d ever want accompanying him on a trek to the jewelers and he figured Bill would echo his sentiment. Mulder planned on asking Jackson to come along; the kid clearly had some ideas swirling in his head and it couldn’t hurt to have a second opinion. 

Maybe Bill wasn’t his preferred choice, but turning his offer down might cause a crack in the shaky foundation they were attempting to rebuild. 

“What are we going to tell them?” He hitched his chin towards the house. “Won’t it look a little suspicious?”

“I suppose,” Bill pondered, tipping his head back, hands on hips. “We can tell them we're bonding. I mean, it wouldn’t be a total lie.”

He didn’t argue, and after a quick chat with Scully and Tara, they were on the road.

**********

Life was a series of experiences, the good and bad, sometimes a little bit of both. Being stuck in an enclosed space with Bill Scully was none of the above. It was an out of body experience; he felt like an outsider, observing two uncomfortable men finding any excuse to jump from a moving car.

In their case, the shiny silver Mustang. The first honest smile he’d ever seen from Bill was after Scully’s remission; the second was when he stood by the sleek muscle car, his mouth agape before twisting into a grin. But in a split second, it was gone and replaced with judgement.

Bill questioned why Mulder had an unsafe, expensive and unreliable vehicle with a baby on the way. It appeared that he failed to notice the second, much more respectable, Explorer parked around the side of the house. He was prepared to sell the Mustang and keep his smaller SUV, but Scully was having none of his protests. As it turned out, she had a certain fondness for it and convinced him to keep it. They had hers anyway and didn’t need two practical cars in their driveway.

His opinion changed once he heard the rumble of the engine, felt the smooth glide as they sped down the highway. Mulder knew Bill was an old-school kind of guy and would appreciate the machinery and mechanics of an American classic, even if it was brand new. Still under five thousand miles and purring like a kitten.

The dashboard GPS signaled his next turn and brought them closer to their destination. After Scully fell back asleep, he spent an hour by the blue glow of his phone, scrolling through pages of ring styles, and cuts, as well as the clarity and color of diamonds: a bunch of specifics he didn’t understand. In the end though, he settled on three separate rings and prayed he’d love one of them in person, even if the engagement ring itself wasn’t the important factor. For them, the ring was going to symbolize new beginnings… a rebirth.

Quite literally, as it seemed. 

“So,” Bill mumbled from the passenger seat as the car made the final turn. “Any ideas?”

Mulder cleared his throat and pulled into a parking space. The plaza was busy for a weekday. “Three, actually.”

Once inside, they were greeted by a jovial sales woman cleaning one of the glass cases. There was a second sales person off to the right side of the store, helping an eager young couple with the various rings on the counter. His core belief hadn’t changed: he still didn’t think physical representations of love and commitment were necessary for every relationship. But some part of him was the slightest bit jealous of the couple. Whether he and Scully would have decided on the whole shebang was not important. They were never given the choice and that was the crux of his sudden glimmer of envy. 

“Good Afternoon, my name is Lauren,” she exclaimed happily and waved them over to her section. “What can I help you with today?”

He looked over at Bill, then back to the smiling woman and exchanged pleasantries. Here, surrounded by row after row of beautiful rings, he was starting to lose his nerve. It was stupid, really. They’d been married for almost a decade, and in a relationship for even longer. That fact didn’t help suppress the urge to sprint out the door. He wished Jackson was here with him; at least he had the same type of sardonic wit that would distract him from the anxiety. Bill didn’t have a sense of humor at all.

“Let’s start off simple,” she suggested, hoping from one food to another. “What’s your wife like, Mr. Mulder? Try to imagine her personality and a perfect ring to match.”

Was it possible to simplify the depth of Dana Scully’s personality into a few words? The complexity of her soul and incredible mind couldn’t be easily categorized or analyzed. He’d need more time and an entire dictionary. Unfortunately, he had access to neither at this point.

Bill side-eyed him and let out an exasperated sigh, the same noise his sister made when she was sick of his shit. Well, it appeared the siblings had something in common; or maybe Mulder had a habit of bothering others. Probably the latter.

“She’s brave. That’s what comes to my mind first.” How was this supposed to aid in choosing the perfect ring? In the absence of Scully, he stepped into her role as the skeptic. “Honest, dedicated, loyal… understated. She won’t like something extravagant and bold.”

He proceeded to rattle off the ring styles he liked best, along with the diamond size he thought Scully would prefer. Nothing too ostentatious, nothing too simple either. The more he reflected, the more he liked the thought of a sparkling ring on her finger. She deserved one after all this time, even if she used to object.

Lauren unlocked one of the cases down towards the back and revealed the more traditional ring of the bunch. In his heart, he knew it wasn’t the one for Scully before he even touched it and saw it up close. The main diamond was round, one carat and the perfect size for her small hand. The white gold band would match her wedding ring and he was almost positive she’d love it. It was feminine and dainty enough to be subtle. 

When he held it between his fingers, the diamond twinkling under the lights, he didn’t feel the spark he expected to. 

“That’s no problem,” Lauren said cheerfully, taking it from him and returning it to its display. “It usually takes a handful before you feel it, if you know what I mean.”

Bill had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, awkwardly standing to his right. Why he insisted on coming, was beyond Mulder’s comprehension. He had barely said two words since they arrived. At least he was friendly with the staff, offering a few smiles here or there, the polite shake of a hand. 

Mulder cleared his throat and did something he never thought he’d be capable of: asking Scully’s brother for an opinion. “What’d you think of that one?”

A shrug. “Tara had something similar when we were first engaged. I surprised her with a new one for our fifteenth anniversary. It’s not the right choice for Dana, though. Too boring.”

Mulder was positive he was going to love the second one the best. It was a stunner with an emerald-cut center diamond, surrounded by a cluster of smaller gems around the band. He thought it was the perfect combination of classic elegance and modern beauty—so much like Dana. He wouldn’t decide after two rings, he’d take a page from the Scully handbook and study all options to make an informed decision.

For the next hour he considered more than ten different rings, all beautiful in their own unique way, until he narrowed it down to his favorite three.

The first was a vintage style cushion cut diamond with a double band lined with smaller gems, a full two carats. It reminded him of something a Queen would wear on a smaller scale. The second was another vintage inspired setting with an emerald cut center diamond and several small ones acting as a halo. And that brought him to the third. 

That was when Bill spoke up again to give his genuine advice, without the trace of arrogant superiority in his tone Mulder had come to expect. “I never thought I’d  _ ever  _ agree with you on anything, let alone something regarding my little sister, but you have a winner here.”

Bill nodded towards the ring in his hand and the sales woman grinned with excitement. It appeared to be genuine, even though she probably sold engagement rings more often than anything else. 

Once they were back in the car, purchase in hand, Bill buckled his seatbelt. He was back to his usual stone-faced self. “So, are you going to propose again or what?”

Mulder didn’t have a chance to think that far ahead; his only focus was the ring until Bill mentioned what would logically happen next in a ‘normal’ relationship. “I don’t think Scully would want another proposal. It was tough enough the first time around.”

“So, you forced her then?” 

He grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The return of ornery Bill Scully was swift and befuddling. However, he was used to hatred and knew how to handle those who questioned him. 

“No, I did not  _ force  _ her into anything,” he corrected with more condescension than he intended. “We talked about marriage for a while and came to the decision  _ together.  _ It’s hard to explain… I didn’t really propose in the traditional sense, it was more of a joint effort; one that Scully came around to after careful thinking.”

To anyone but him or Scully, the method would be perceived as abnormal. It was obvious from the quizzical stare he received from the man beside him. Shouldn’t Bill know they were anything but traditional? 

“You are one strange man, Mulder.” Bill shook his head in disbelief and let out a snort of laughter. “I won’t forgive you for some of the harm you caused my sister and our family, but I can see how much you love her. It was clear to me this afternoon when I saw you two cozied up together.”

Before Mulder could cut in, he continued. “My first instinct was to tear you away from her but my feet wouldn’t cooperate with my brain and propel me forward. Then, I saw you two grinning like fools.” He turned his attention towards the trees whizzing by through the window. “She loves you, too. I’ve never seen her so… carefree and vivacious with anyone else but you.”

For once in his life, Mulder was at a loss for words. He expected a truce of some kind, they’d come to that unspoken agreement earlier in the day. His blessing, however? He would have bet his every cent against the probability. “Well.. I-I don’t-”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Bill said, squirming uncomfortably in his seat. “Just take care of my sister and promise me you won’t drag her back into conspiracy hunting or ghost hunting, or whatever else you two investigated.”

Never again would he fall into that trap and revolving cycle of despair. Even before the universe basically handed them their retirement on a silver platter, Mulder came close to suggesting they quit and move on from the FBI. The right moment didn’t present itself and therefore, the powers that be provided it for them.

“You don’t have to worry,” he replied with conviction. “My heart only has enough room for Scully, Jackson, and the baby now. That chapter of our life is closed and sealed shut. You have my word.”

Bill was quiet, which he took as a good sign. At least he wasn’t tearing him a new asshole. The remainder of their journey home was filled with silence, other than the occasional ticking of the turn signal, and it gave Mulder some time to plan his ‘proposal.’ He was in full-blown panic mode as they neared the house. 

Maybe he’d hide the ring under her pillow and take the shy, cowardly way out; maybe he’d say screw it and get down on bended knee, throwing caution to the wind. Every scenario he walked through left him scared shitless. Silly, really. Married ten years, two children between them, and he was terrified she’d refuse him. 

“Are you alright, Mulder? You look sick.”

An apt observation. He coughed and turned his attention back to the road, back to thoughts of Scully and Tara waiting for them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and kind comments. They make my day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

The house was silent when Mulder jolted straight up in bed, confused as to what drew him out of such a sound and restful sleep. There was a light wind coming from the open window and it chilled his exposed shoulders. It took him a few moments to take stock of his surroundings and deduce the sequence of events leading to his surprise wake-up. 

First came the absence of Scully’s body, warm and soft and pressed up against his side. They used to fall asleep together, snuggled in the warm cocoon of each other’s arms, and eventually drift apart during the night. The total opposite was true these days. Without fail, they would collide at the center of the bed in a tangle of limbs before morning. That was part of the reason why he was startled awake: she was missing.

Second came the light that spilled into the bedroom from the master bath, illuminating half the room. The sun had yet to rise, a splattering of stars still visible in the sky. He cherished this time of day, when his world was cast in shadow; time moved more slowly without the hustle and bustle of human activity. The best part was when dawn was just beginning to crest over the horizon in streaks of fire, the majority of the sky still inky black with the sparkle of stars. He would occasionally sneak out of bed to grab a cup of coffee and sit on the front porch to watch the heavens, waiting for the sunrise. Other times, he’d wake Scully, kissing his way down her body until he reached paradise. 

And third came the clattering sound coming from the bathroom. Her struggle with morning sickness had abated some, but that’s what first came to mind. His assumption was proven wrong when he heard another thump, followed by an expletive coming from the woman inside. 

He smiled and tossed the covers aside, ready to explore the source of the sound when a stark naked Dana Scully came waltzing out of the bathroom. She took one look at him and her impish grin spelled trouble. He knew that look.

“Oh, good. You’re awake,” she said, the slight rasp lacing her voice stirred something wicked inside him. “I hoped to surprise you but this’ll do just fine.”

She closed the remaining space between them and promptly straddled his lap, lowering herself to kiss him. Halfway there, she whined when her belly prevented any further movement. She was cute when she whined; it was in direct contrast to the woman he used to know, the woman who balked at such childish behavior. When the real Scully was revealed to him, seven long and excruciating years into their partnership, he was surprised to meet the carefree, sexually liberated woman hiding behind her mask.

At her mercy, he met her lips in the middle. She didn’t waste a second, immediately licking at his lower lip until he granted her access. If she weren’t making these impatient little noises in the back of her throat, he might’ve had the willpower to pull away. He was more than happy to oblige; everything he had to give was already hers. 

And she took him, her hungry tongue teasing him as she reacquainted herself with every nook and cranny of his mouth. It quickly escalated from there, tongues mating, hearts racing, as she clawed at his neck to pull them closer together. 

“Scully, we can’t,” he breathed when they broke apart, gasping for much needed oxygen. “We can’t.”

“Why not?” Her pout was tempting but he remained still against the pillows. “I need you, Mulder.”

Later, she would make fun of him for the faint whimper her words elicited. He’d dreamed of hearing her say she needed him for years and to have Scully freely express that need left him awed. “I know, honey, I know. But your brother… he’s right on the other side of the wall.”

“I don’t care.”

She palmed his chest, sifting through the hair there as she licked her lips and rocked against his rock solid erection. Whether it was subconscious or a way of taunting him into submission, he wasn’t sure. He suspected it was a bit of both. “We’ll be quiet. They’ll be none the wiser,” she reasoned, trailing one of her hands up his neck to scratch his stubble the way she loved. “Please? For me?”

The adorable pout was deployed once more; she must really want it if she resorted to begging. From her position, she could easily subdue him and take what she wanted. It’s not like he was putting up much of a fight. All she had to do was lift her hips an inch or two and he’d be lost in her tight, wet heat. 

She was also way too vocal to keep quiet. The sounds she made during the short kisses they shared a moment ago proved his point. He told her so. 

Another smirk split her cheeks. “So you’re gonna turn down the mother of your children? That’s not very nice.” She waited patently, her wandering fingertips grazing his nipples with each pass and he was lost, drowning in the tiny sparks shooting straight to his dick. 

With the last vestiges of sleep now gone, he was helpless to do anything other than touch her, running his palms up her thighs to the newfound curve of her waist and stroked the soft skin he discovered there. He’s careful, too careful for her liking and he knows this; she’s admonished him a few hundred times for treating her like fragile glass since he learned of her pregnancy. After some gentle cajoling and reassurances, he’d comply with her demands. Scully always loved when he was rough with her.

“You win.” 

She chuckled low and deep in the back of her throat, taking one of his hands from her hip and motioning him to sit up against the headboard. Always in perfect harmony, he and Scully. They hadn’t attempted his position in a while and lord knows she’s changed since the last occasion. It was a favorite though, each relishing in the close contact it awarded.

Without a warning, he planted his feet flat against the mattress to give himself more leverage. Scully had to stop herself from flopping against him with a hand to his shoulder, giggling wildly as she did so. Her laughter turned into a husky groan as his cock brushed along her swollen folds.

God, was she gorgeous, all flawless ivory skin and curves. How did his sorry ass land in the good graces of a woman this sweet, loving and perfect? He was the luckiest man alive. 

He didn’t want to ruin the mood but had to ask anyway, even if he knew she was. “Were you this… voracious back in the day?” 

The question didn’t squander the fun. In fact, the rosy flush in her cheeks spread like wildfire across her breasts. “Ooh, look who’s using big words now,” she teased, locking her arms around his neck and kissing him hard. “You know the answer to that one, Mulder. I think my vibrator was permanently glued to my hand for five months.”

To think he only caught the tail end of her insatiable need for release when he’d returned. He quite enjoyed being at her beck and call, for sex or otherwise. 

Her quick, pliant kisses turned into one long, hurried mating of lips as she fought against her enlarged belly to get closer to him. He sensed her desperation and poured his soul into the kiss, taking control with a hand at the base of her neck. Hours could be spent worshiping the altar of her mouth, but more pressing matters needed to be addressed. 

Scully beat him to the punch, rising up on her knees and guiding him without any hesitation. She hissed as she sank down to his lap, his length fully sheathed inside her. His own need was overshadowed by the glowing goddess tipping her head back to expose the delicate skin of her throat, humming as she did so. When their eyes met a few moments later, she smirked and clenched her inner walls around him. 

“Oh fuck,” he groaned, loud enough to be heard if their next door neighbors were awake. Of course he wouldn’t heed his own advice. That was the Mulder MO. He was worried about Scully losing control when he overestimated his own willpower. 

Scully scolded him with a shake of her head. “That’s naughty, Mulder. Did you forget your earlier warning?” she whispered and began to move, showing him sweet, delicious mercy. “I think you forget how expressive you can be in the bedroom.”

He had no remark. The tables needed to be turned against Scully; it was time for her to feel the way he was feeling from her teasing. Full, heavy breasts taunted him, called for his hands and mouth. He cupped both of them gently, softer than he normally would, and tested the waters with a slight squeeze. A shudder ran up his spine when her lips parted, freeing a whimper of encouragement. Oh yeah, he was in. 

Kneading her flesh with one hand, his thumb and forefinger rolled her pebbled nipple until she tossed her head back again and sped the tempo of their hips. It wasn’t long before he went for gold, letting his other hand cascade down her sternum, up and over the wave of her stomach, over to her side and landing on her gorgeous ass. He gripped her hard, using the leverage his legs provided along with his firm grasp on her behind to tip her hips the slightest bit forward. 

“Oh my god,” she cried out, much louder than his indiscretion and he chuffed out a chuckle. “Mulder!” 

He let his fingers slip from her breast, ignoring her whine of protest, and rested one against her lips in a silent plea. The tables were quickly turned for a second time when she opened her lips and took his proffered finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the digit. His cock twitched when she applied a gentle suction and pulled him deeper. 

They continued their delightfully slow climb towards release. His hand helped to propel her body forward, Scully becoming increasingly unsteady on her knees as she rode him into the mattress. For a pregnant woman, she sure had the stamina to outlast a marathon. 

“You’re almost there, Scully. I can feel you.” He released his finger from the hot prison of her mouth and carved a wet trail down until he found her clitoris, hidden between their sweaty bodies. “Come for me, baby.”

Three more passes around her clit and she came, her nails raking across his chest. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was aware of the noises they were making, but the only section of his brain in working condition couldn’t have cared any less. Certainly not when her walls captured him like a vise and triggered his own release. He held Scully in place, never losing contact as she savored the final waves of pleasure overtaking her body. 

She wanted to slump against his chest, rest her head over his heart and listen to the rhythm, but he had other plans to set in motion. As her limbs continued to tremble with the aftershocks, he eased her body off his lap and turned on his side. Even in her muddled state of bliss she nestled into his torso and flung her arm around his waist, so tightly it caught his breath.

“You okay?”

Her nod was barely perceptible as she nuzzled his sternum. “Baby?” she finally muttered, her palm moving from his back to caress his shoulder. 

He grinned into her hair. “Yes?” 

“You’re a dork. You know that right?.” She pulled away from his neck to trace his lower lip with her index finger, a tiny smile forming. “You called me baby.”

“I did?” He wasn’t being coy; he truly couldn’t remember anything from the last half hour other than her beautiful face contorting as she came undone above him. “I didn’t even realize it.”

Her eyebrow quirked upwards. “You know I don’t like when you use baby as a pet name.”

“It just slipped out in the heat of the moment. I’m sorry, honey,” he apologized softly, kissing her forehead to make up for his slip of the tongue. ‘Honey’ was the _only_ name she’d allow him to use and had grown quite fond of it over the years. What started as a joke turned into a special endearment over time. 

“Hm,” was her mumbled reply. She buried her nose under his jaw once more, her long exhale tickling his neck, as they slipped into silence.

The sun was just beginning to emerge through the darkness; when he turned his head, he could make out the first streaks of pink and yellow. His watch, as well as his cellphone, were discarded on his nightstand and out of reach. He guessed it was close to 5:30 and wondered if Tara or Bill had heard their morning romp.

About fifteen minutes passed before a series of flutters met his wandering hand: his morning hello from their daughter. He was mildly surprised the ruckus her parents caused hadn’t woken her up earlier. Scully had once told him about the motion lulling the baby to sleep. 

“Your little roommate’s awake,” he whispered, slipping out of Scully’s arms and scooting further down the bed to kiss the spot where he last felt the movement, and returned her wake up call.

She chuckled sleepily, fingers sifting through his hair. “Probably telling us to quiet down. She’s not used to so much activity this early.”

“Is that true?” he asked the baby. “Kick once for yes, twice for no.”

“You _are_ a dork,” she repeated with affection as they waited for a response. When little Lily or Julie or Julia acknowledged his voice, she pushed against his hand three distinct times. 

“Well, that experiment was a bust.”

Scully appeared to be in deep thought, her fingers stilling in his hair. “You’re going to be such a wonderful father, Mulder. I knew it from the moment you laid eyes on William, the moment you first made contact with this little peanut here,” she crooned, speaking in a hushed voice, almost awed by her own assertion. When he looked up to her face, he noticed the tear tracks falling down her cheeks. 

Her raw, unadulterated emotional response sparked something inside him and he was suddenly a weepy mess. Were pregnancy hormones contagious? Because he caught himself tearing up at the drop of a hat ten times within the past week. He felt like a blubbering fool, but he didn’t care much. As long as they were happy tears, he was content with his recent waterworks. Especially when she shared them with his family.

“I’m glad you have confidence in my abilities, Scully, because I’m not so sure.” 

She swiped the tears away. “Oh, Mulder. Please don’t doubt yourself,” she chided gingerly and tried to pull him back into her arms. He ducked her attempts and instead, tried to hide his insecurities within the curve of her belly, raining gentle kisses in every spot he could reach. “Children love you. I’ve seen the way babies gravitate towards you, the way toddlers connect with you. You’re a natural.”

“I guess.” He frowned against her stomach, dropping another kiss. “I can’t screw this up, Scully. The both of you deserve the world and I fear my best won’t be enough.”

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did he _always_ have to ruin the moment by dredging up his lack of self-confidence? 

“Come up here,” she requested, loosening her hold. He complied and rested his head on the pillow. Blue met hazel, both brimming with moisture. “You being here is more than enough. We don’t want or need the world from you, Mulder. Just you.”

“I’m here.” 

“And you love me? Us?”

“So much, Dana.” There he was, blubbering all over again. “Waking up to your smile, to my daughter’s movements under my palm, my son safe—it’s indescribable. I never thought I’d be deserving of a family.”

She inched closer, foreheads touching on instinct. “Listen to me Fox Mulder and believe me when I say you’re a wonderful man who deserves way more than the shitty cards you’ve been dealt. You lost both your parents tragically; your sister was taken from you and dangled in front of your nose for years; you lost critical time with our son—with me. Now is the time to sit back and enjoy the blessings we’ve been handed.” 

“But you-”

Her forehead moved against his as she shook her head. “No buts, baby. You’re a wonderful son, brother, colleague, friend, lover, and father. Your generosity and compassion has brought you here, with us. Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if you were an asshole.”

They smiled in unison; he couldn’t see the lift of her lips due to their closeness, but he could see the smile in her eyes. A slow, languid kiss soon followed, noses bumping gently, teasing one another in the small space. Soon, they were laughing together, and stealing a kiss here or there, as if the preceding conversation hadn’t happened. 

“I can be kind of an asshole sometimes,” he conceded wryly against her lips. She grinned through another kiss. “Remember Comity? Telekinetic teenagers?”

“Well, we weren’t in control of our emotions,” she countered. “Rare planetary alignment and all that mumbo jumbo.”

“Still, though. I taunted you for a week after we got back to Washington. For the record, I was only attracted to a petite, fluffy-haired redhead with an aptitude for proving her brilliant partner wrong, not some small town detective with fake blonde hair.”

That earned him a belly laugh, accompanied by another kick to his abdomen. 

“I was just kicked.” He pulled back a little. 

“She’s trying to tell you to let go of the past and focus on the present and future,” she reasoned, capturing his hand and lowering it to her stomach. Together, they felt the small foot greet their joined hands. “See? She loves you already.”

“I think she’s just asking you to get up and have some breakfast.”

“No more of that, Mr. Negative. Maybe you’ve missed how she reacts to your voice and presence, but I can’t ignore it when I’m the one she’s using for kickboxing tryouts.”

“I hope she changes her mind and goes for baseball or basketball instead,” he added. 

“She will,” she winced after a particularly hard jab and placed a parting kiss on his nose. “She will because you’ll teach her. Don’t think I didn’t peak inside the package you had delivered last week.”

Unable to stop himself, he found Knicks and Yankees jerseys, along with an impossibly tiny baseball hat. He didn’t think it was possible for a human to be that small. “That was meant to be a surprise.”

Up and out of bed, he followed her movements around the room as she rummaged through her pajama drawer and produced a satin set, about three times larger than her usual size. Then, she tamed her messy hair with her fingers in front of the rectangular mirror above the dresser. The devilish glint in her eye reflected the same unsavory thoughts running through his head. If they had nowhere to be and no one to see, he would have shoved her pants down her legs in two seconds flat and taken her from behind. They both loved the thrill, when they could watch their reflections and see how his deep and powerful thrusts whipped them into a frenzy. 

“Twelve hours, Mulder. Think you can make it?”

**********

An hour to go and he hated to admit it, but he was having a good time. 

After a late meal at one of their favorite lunch spots a little closer to the city, Scully and Tara broke away to explore some shops at Tara’s insistence, and later returned with bags of baby clothes and pieces for the nursery. In the meantime, Bill, Jackson and himself scurried away back to the house. They were later joined by the rest of the clan.

Now, they sat around the fire pit and shared a few beers, with the exception of Scully and Jackson. The majority of the hostility between him and Bill subsided and left a quiet truce in its wake. They’d never be best friends, but family was something they could manage. Besides, he didn’t want the baby to grow up without an aunt or uncle. 

“Have you given any thought to names yet?” Tara asked, back to baby talk. The conversation had diverged away from Tara’s work and life out in sunny California. “Bill and I were at a loss until the day after Matthew was born.”

He and Scully exchanged glances, Mulder giving her the green light to answer. “Believe it or not, we hadn’t discussed it much until yesterday. In a way, we figured she’d be the one to tell us when she was born, like it would just pop into our mind once we saw her.”

“But, we did some up with a few names,” Mulder told them, listing the names they settled on. “We sorta came to an agreement on Julia as our number one contender, but I’ve still got my heart set on Lily.”

Scully pipped in. “I thought Julia was your favorite? You changed your mind in a day?”

It was at first. Julia Mulder had a nice ring to it and he could picture a tiny, dark-haired, blue-eyed little girl with that name, calling them Mom and Dad. The more time he spent imagining it, the only one he kept coming back to was Lily. 

“I didn’t necessarily change my mind,” he said, watching a bead of condensation drip down the neck of his beer bottle. “Just keeping Lily in my back pocket in case Julia isn’t the perfect fit.”

To his left, Bill had his head tilted backwards towards the sky. “It’s smart to have a list prepared. We had two pages filled with names. Although, Matthew wasn’t on that list and we still chose it.”

Bright sun gave way to patchy gray clouds and Mulder hoped rain and storms weren’t on the way. As much as he was enjoying himself, the tranquility and solitude would always be preferable to company. That may sound antisocial and self centered, but Scully, Jackson and the baby were all he needed. 

“What do you think, Jackson?” Scully inquired and the boy tore his eyes away from his phone. He had a deer in the headlights look on his face, obviously not expecting to be called upon. It was odd because he’d been uncharacteristically chatty both when Tara and Bill first met him and earlier this afternoon. “Do you have any ideas?”

Jackson slipped his phone back into the front pocket of his jeans and took a sip of his ice water. The way he was bouncing his knee reminded Mulder of himself and a smile formed on his lips. 

“Julia or Lily?” 

“I think,” Jackson began, “I have to side with Mulder on this one. Lily’s cute.”

His triumphant smile grew, along with Scully’s amused one, as they exchanged glances. He was only messing around; a name for their unborn child was important and he would carefully consider every option. Naming William had been out of his control and rightfully so. What Scully had done for him, bestowing a family name onto their son, was an honor and one that came with months of thinking on her part. He would honor his daughter with the same process. 

“Typical,” Scully remarked. “Two against one.”

Across from him, Tara laughed and casted her vote for Julia. Next came Bill, who gruffly muttered his agreement. The latest count, they landed at a tie. “2 to 2,” Tara sighed.

“Another inconclusive experiment.” Scully patted her belly, a motion that Bill noticed. Her brother played his cards close to his chest and was tough to read. Could he be coming to terms with the new development? Or was he merely holding his tongue?

The answer came to him when Bill asked if the baby kicked as much as he remembered with Matthew. No sarcasm. No antagonism. Only genuine curiosity. 

“For most of the day it seems,” she said with a wistful half-smile. “All Mulder has to do is walk into a room and she’s somersaulting around in there. She has a sixth sense.”

Warmth blossomed in his chest, a sense of pride and love swirling together. He’d read that baby’s can hear and recognize voices, that’s why he made a point to talk and sing to her as often as Scully would allow, but he doubted she could sense his presence that well. 

It looked as if Tara was going to tear up. “That’s so sweet! I always wanted a little girl. The unique relationship they have with their father is a beautiful sight, especially when they’re young.”

Bill opened his mouth to speak and was caught off guard by the chime of his phone. “Oh shit,” he said. “Severe storm warnings.”

“Is our flight canceled?” Tara wondered, pulling out her own phone, presumably to check their flight details. Scully jumped in immediately and promised they could stay another day in the event of a canceled flight. Luckily, Tara sighed with relief soon after. 

The remaining half hour was spent gushing over the tiny outfits and cuddly stuffed animals Scully picked up in town. The seldom seen maternal side of her was oozing from her pores as she held up each garment and Mulder was enraptured. To him, each piece of clothing was the same, his sole focus was honed in on the light in her eyes. 

When it came time to say their goodbyes, Tara promised they’d fly out again for a longer vacation. “After the baby’s born. We will make sure Matthew is available, too. He should meet his cousins and I certainly want to meet my precious little niece!”

They tentatively settled on thanksgiving and after some lingering hugs, they were off in their rental car. He watched from the door as they disappeared beyond the bend and then closed the door with a bang. 

His sigh of relief was immediate.

“Alone at last,” Scully sighed and collapsed into his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. “You made it without a scratch. I’m proud of you.”

He couldn’t tell if she was joking, but took her praise anyway. The visit could’ve been filled to the brim with spiteful comments and underhanded fighting like he expected before their arrival. He liked to think Scully was proud of him for maintaining decorum and foraging a new path with her brother.

“How does a long, romantic bath sound to you?” 

She peered up at him, suspicious. “Hm, I don’t know. Is it going to lead to the same activities as your massage did?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a lot shorter then the last two, but I’m sorta running out of steam here. This was my first real attempt at adding some additional voices to a story and it’s worn me out. I think I’m going to stick with strictly MSR focused stories from now on, with some other characters sprinkled in here or there. I feel like that’s my strength. This was a fun experiment regardless.
> 
> There will be an epilogue to this story to wrap it up a little better. I couldn’t figure out a romantic way to write the ring into this chapter, so the epilogue will address that, as well as a few other things. 
> 
> Thank to everyone who left a comment or kudos. You’re all wonderful.


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would happen if Bill Scully came to visit our favorite duo AFTER the events of season 11?

_ Three Months Later _

“She’s so perfect, Mulder,” Scully said in a hushed whisper, cradling the small infant in her tired arms. “I can’t look away.”

Mulder was familiar with her sentiment. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since she was born, after twelve long, arduous hours of labor. Even when she made her grand entrance, squalling and slippery with fluid, he kept his eyes trained to the baby. 

She had first alerted him to the early signs of labor mid-morning the previous day. In typical Scully fashion, she was more concerned about him and his tendency to overreact than her own discomfort. But as the pain steadily increased, both their attentions turned to ensuring a calm and healthy birth for their child.

Little did either of them know, the process would be anything but calm. Hours were spent clinging to one another as Scully grit her teeth through contraction after contraction and begged him to stay with her—with them.

As if he’d ever leave. He would super glue himself to their side if it were possible… or sane. In the interest of compromise, he followed her orders and held tight, refusing to let her out of his sight. He soon realized touch was important to Scully when he tried to let go of her hand briefly, only to feel the bite of her nails around his forearm and hear her choked sobs.  _ ‘Don’t leave. Please,’  _ she begged then, pulling his arm with more force than he expected. Her eyes were wide, pleading for him to stay. He went to explain, to say that he wasn’t going anywhere, but his vocal cords failed him. 

Next thing he knew, he was joining her in bed, his chest molded to her back. She seemed to relax just the slightest bit with the change in position, perhaps drawing strength from him. Between contractions, she’d doze against his chest, occasionally emitting unintelligible noises, as he stroked and kneading her fatigued hips and back, held her belly in his palms. An unknown amount of time passed in this way, interspersed with visits from the nurses monitoring her progress. 

Later, much later, the recovery room shrouded in darkness, Scully lost her hard fought battle with sleep and drifted off. With the baby napping in a bassinet beside her, Mulder kept a vigilant watch over his family. Though he was confident that all remaining threats had been neutralized, unanswered questions still remained. He would forever be on the lookout for adversaries, even with their primary enemy eliminated. 

He remained watchful for a half hour at most, until he noticed the small bundle of his daughter start to squirm and release a pitiful whimper that had him off his ass in an instant. She was wrapped up tight and waging a valiant fight against her confines, managing to free one arm to wave in his direction. It was an involuntary response, a mere reflex, but his breath hitched in his chest.

Quietly, as to not wake Scully, he enjoyed what was the first of many bonding sessions to come. He rescued her and gingerly unwrapped her dressings, and lowered them both down into his seat. The chair squeaked a little as he settled into a comfortable position with the baby, any awkwardness washing away with the tide. Holding his little girl safely against his chest, her fuzzy brown hair under his fingertips, every puzzle piece fell into place. She fingered his shirt for a couple minutes before he felt her tiny body start relax and drift off.

Awash in the glow of budding fatherhood, he savored all the noises she made in her sleep, every slow rise and fall of her chest, and feel of her tiny fingers flex in the fabric of his shirt. Sometime after midnight, Scully began to stir and in turn, so did her daughter.

“So beautiful,” he marveled, concurring with her observation after his moment of reflection. “How did we make something so beautiful?”

She laughed, careful not to jostle the baby at her breast. “We’re incredibly lucky. It’s hard to believe she’s really here… safe, healthy. So much could’ve gone wrong, Mulder.”

“The same could be said for all three of us.” He stroked the baby’s soft cheek with his index finger, inching closer to the bed. “It’s nothing short of miraculous.”

With so many close calls and near misses, he was at a loss to explain just how they’d made it out alive. Between her cancer, his abduction, hiding from the government for six years, and a myriad of other illnesses and injuries, they shouldn’t be sitting here today. 

Scully groaned before smiling an affectionate smile and adjusted the hungry infant. “Not so hard there. She’s an eager one, I’ll tell you.” She paused to peer over at him, the same fond grin on her face. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

He returned her gesture, cheeks sore from smiling so much. “We still have to name her, Scully.”

Three months since they made their official list and here they remained at a stalemate. Julia or Lily; each beautiful in their own right. He thought Lily sounded better with the last name Mulder, while Scully thought the opposite. He began to wonder if they’d ever come to a consensus; both were stubborn and it would take an awful lot to tip the scales one way or another.

In the interest of compromise, he suggested they use both. Lily Julia Mulder could work; in fact, he loved the name. How did they overlook what was right under their noses? 

“Lily Julia Mulder,” she repeated, testing the waters. They got their answer from an unlikely source when the baby, once again, shook her hand up in the general direction of her parents. “I think we have a winner.”

“That we do.”

Was it really that easy? Apparently so.

“Get over here,” she requested, motioning him towards the bed with her free hand. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to move Scully the slightest bit forward so he could fit behind them once more. She settled back into him while he snaked his arms around her waist, mindful of the discomfort she may still be feeling. 

When they were more lucid, he’d swear all three of them sighed in unison. Drowsy and enthralled by their new addition, he almost forgot about the ring box in his pocket. Since buying the ring, he’d been begging the universe for guidance. Each time they left the house, for any reason, he would bring the box with him in the hopes of finding the perfect moment to slip it on her finger. It never worked out. 

Now was as good a time as any and his six pound, ten ounce daughter seemed to give him the final push. At least he’d have a cute story to tell her when she got older. 

“Listen, Scully, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to give you for a while now but haven’t been able to muster up the courage,” he whispered into her ear and fished the felt box from his pocket, out of view. “Promise you won’t flip out on me... just hear me out.”

“That’s ominous,” she stated plainly. “Nothing good has ever come from you asking me to hear you out.”

“This time is different.”

The angle was awkward and he fumbled with the box, drawing a rumbling laugh from Scully. She didn’t comment, maintaining a careful hold on the baby as she finished her meal and fell back to sleep. He covered Scully’s hand, the one that rested on Lily’s full belly. The small rise and fall of her breaths were soothing and helped to center his focus.

He wished they were facing each other. As much as he loved being able to hold both of them, soaking up every minute fused together as one, having the face to face contact with Scully would help him find the right words to say. Communication through facial expressions was their bread and butter; her beautiful blue eyes were the gateway to her most private thoughts and they provided him with the guidance he often needed.

Instead, he rounded up every last ounce of courage he had bottled up inside him and revealed what was hiding inside the velvet. The ring looked the same as the last time he held it in his hands, but somehow it was even more magnificent now that she could wear it. Finally. After too many years. 

Her gasp disturbed Lily, who announced her annoyance with a disgruntled whine. “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. It’s okay,” she consoled in the soft whisper only a mother could provide. His heart skipped in his chest when the baby quieted at the sound of Scully’s soothing voice. 

Christ, he was starting to cry again. “I know we decided an engagement ring was a superfluous waste of money and given the state of our relationship at the time, I’d say we made the correct decision,” he began, searching inwardly for the right words. “But we’ve changed and I don’t think a little bling is such a bad thing.”

It sounded lame to his own ears and to his shock, Scully laughed. “Mulder…”

“Okay, okay, dumb jokes aside, we’re not the same people we were back then. We need to do something traditional for a change.”

“Mulder, we’re married,” she deadpanned, straining her neck so she could look up at him. Then she grinned. “I’d say that’s as traditional as it gets.”

He thought about it for a moment and came to realize she was right. As always. “I guess, but we ignored the marriage for years. It was a mere formality in the months we began to drift apart,” he said sadly, remembering the sequence of events leading to their breakup. “We weren’t able to enjoy our freedom, our first chance to live like normal people. No looking over our shoulders, no veil of darkness following our every move.”

“We have a second chance now,” she concluded for him, plucking the ring from his fingers. Just from the gentle way she was handling it, he could tell she loved it. He made the right choice. “It’s stunning.”

“Your brother helped me pick it out.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope,” he said with a laugh. “He insisted. I wanted Jackson to come instead, but apparently, I couldn’t be trusted to buy a ring for my wife.”

“That’s where you went when you disappeared for two hours,” she recalled. “When you told Tara and I you were going to ‘bond’ at the batting cages. I knew that was bullshit.”

He scolded her for teaching such dirty language in the presence of an innocent baby and gave her a brief summary of the outing. He hoped Bill would never find out it took him three whole months to muster up the courage to actually give his sister the ring. Whether her brother was joking or not, Mulder still didn’t need the ridicule he’d certainly receive.

Taking the ring back, he gingerly slid the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and he thought it paired nicely with her conventional wedding band. “I love you, Dana Katherine Scully. We weren’t able to have a traditional engagement or wedding, but will you wear this ring as a little reminder of how much you mean to me—how much all three of you mean to me?” 

Jackson was away again and said he would visit as soon as his sister was born. Mulder had found the time to text him once Scully was settled at the hospital bed with the sleeping infant and told him he was welcome to stop by in the morning. Jackson promised he would be at the house tomorrow when they got home. He wished he was here now.

Scully craned her neck once more in order to kiss him squarely on the lips, then smiled as she pulled back. “Yes, Mulder. I can do that.”

If possible, his heart tripled in size when she accepted his quasi-proposal. It was already dangerously close to exploding in his chest. As cliché as it may sound, he was now complete. His family was complete.

The lack of light in the room didn’t stop Scully from admiring the ring, turning her hand back and forth to test its sparkling powers. “You’ve been sitting on this for three months?” she asked, voice hoarse with tears. 

“The opportunity never presented itself. I kept waiting, wishing for the universe to help me out but everything felt trite and overdone.” He kissed her temple and buried his nose into her neck, kissing her there, too. “Seeing you holding this perfect miracle here, all glowy and motherly, put things in perspective for me.”

“I’m glad you waited,” she told him, letting her thumb trace Lily's soft cheek. In sleep, she rooted towards her Mother’s touch, reminding him of the way she gripped his finger when he succumbed to the urge to touch her tiny fingers. Another reflexive action, an automatic response to stimuli, but it was the most incredible thing he’d ever witnessed. 

And he’d seen a spaceship.

Scully yawned, leaning back to rest her head on his shoulder, then yawned a second time. “Why don’t you sleep? Use me as a pillow and I’ll keep watch.”

“Aren’t  _ you  _ tired, Mulder? At least I had a nap; you’ve been awake for close to twenty-four hours.”

“Don’t you worry about me,” he said, easing her back some more so she could lounge more comfortably against his chest. “I’m not the one who gave birth today, Scully. You rest. Sleep while the baby is asleep, right?”

That appeared to be all the convincing she needed because he felt her slight nod and her muscles relax with relief, mumbling a soft  _ I love you  _ before falling silent in his arms. Her solid hold on Lily remained, but he added his own arms to protect them both from harm. In the morning, he would escort his wife and newborn child from the hospital and to the three acres of land they called home, their son waiting to meet his baby sister. 

Darkness was in the rear view, never to be seen or heard from ever again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that’s a wrap on another one. I was going to take a break after posting this but working from home has seriously helped my muse. I’ve been coming up with ideas left and right. Next up is, you guessed it, another S11 story. 10 chapters, one for each episode. It’s an extended scene series. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! It means a lot. :)

**Author's Note:**

> If you’ve never dipped Cheetos into cream cheese, you’re missing out. It’s better with flamin’ hot, but tastes good with plain old Cheetos, too. And grilled chicken risotto is my all-time favorite meal. If I had the time, I’d make it every week. 10/10 recommend.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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